Nothing BetterPart 3 of the Angel Series
by cornishpixie330
Summary: What happened between Chuck and Angelica after that Christmas? Will she realize her mistake? And will he be able to forgive her this time? romance/drama/some funny parts. CA and also TL,PS, and KD. Rated for minor language and adult situations. R & R!
1. Prologue

(boy)

Will someone please call a surgeon

Who can crack my ribs and repair this broken heart

That you're deserting for better company

I can't accept that it's over...

Tell me am I right to think that there could be nothing better

Than making you my bride and slowly growing old together?

(girl)

I feel I must interject here...

You're getting carried away feeling sorry for yourself

With these revisions and gaps in history

So let me help you remember.

I've made charts and graphs that should finally make it clear.

I've prepared a lecture on why I have to leave

So please back away and let me go

(boy)

I can't my darling I love you so...

But oh, oh...

Tell me am I right to think that there could be nothing better

Than making you my bride and slowly growing old together?

(girl)

Don't you feed me lies about some idealistic future

Your heart won't heal right if you keep tearing out the sutures

'nothing better'—the postal service

**Prologue**

2009 was a particularly hard year for me. I do not like to see people in pain, though it sometimes can't be avoided. Humans are, naturally, imperfect beings. And they will make mistakes. But the wise learn from those mistakes and the truly wise don't repeat them.

You know the saying 'If you love something, let it go'? Humans came up with that._ I_ say, If you love something, do whatever you can to keep it. Love is precious. Life on this earth only lasts so long. And a life without love seems all the shorter.

It's ok to have regrets. It is. But it's a crime to sit by and do nothing about them.


	2. Roomies

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I'm certainly not making any money off of this story. Rugrats, AGU, all their characters, etc. belong to Klasky Csupo.**

Tommy looked away from his game.

"Dude. What are you doing?"

"Just keep a coaster under the drinks, ok?"

"Who cares?"

"You'll leave rings on the table." Chuck insisted. Lil giggled, but didn't take her eyes off the tv screen. Tommy grinned at her and then glanced back at his roommate-slash-best friend.

"So what? That table's a piece of crap. It only cost you like ten dollars."

"That's not the point."

Tommy opened his mouth to say something but turned his attention back to the Wii as he realized Lil was taking advantage of his distraction to pummel him in _Mario Party_. "Hey! You little cheater!" He dropped his control and grabbed her around the waist. She shrieked.

"Tommy! Ahhh! Let go of _meeeeeee_."

"Oh! The betrayal!" Tommy moaned in mock despair, tickling her.

"Don't you dare—"

"—The treachery!—"

"—Tickle me!—"

SLAM.

Tommy and Lil froze in their play and glanced toward Chuck's closed bedroom door.

"Damn," said Lil. "What's his problem?"

Tommy scowled. "Dunno. He's been acting really pissy lately." He stretched out and picked up his control again.

"Yeah…I _have _noticed, actually…" Lil said a bit less harshly, biting her lip. She looked at her boyfriend, who was sitting there casually, playing the Wii like nothing was wrong. She frowned. "Tommy."

"Huh?"

"Maybe you should try to be nicer to him."

He looked away from his game to meet her eyes. "Why? He's the one being a jerk."

"You're a jerk sometimes, too, ya know." she retorted, pushing him hard, albeit playfully. "I mean…everyone is sometimes. And I think that Chuck…has been through a lot. And you should, you know, be his best friend like you're supposed to."

He sighed loudly and paused the game. "Ok, I give up. What are you trying to say to me, Lil? You know I don't speak girl."

"I'm just saying…I think that Chuck has been very lonely lately."

"Nah. He's got me! And you're here all the time."

Lil resisted the urge to smack him. "Yeah and I think that only makes it worse…you and me…being all cute in front of him all the time. I think he just misses having a girlfriend and all."

"Well, let's find him a girlfriend." Tommy said matter-of-factly.

"But…_Angelica_."

"Oh come on, it's been like a year."

"Six months."

"Ok, first of all, how do you _know_ that? You said that pretty fast. Secondly, six months, a year, same thing."

Lil snuggled up to his chest. She was still a little upset at his ignorance, but it was hard to stay mad at him.

Tommy kissed her dark brown head. "You still think he's not over her, huh?" Lil shrugged. Tommy sighed. "Girls need to learn to stay out of other people's business."

She pulled away and punched his arm. "Jerk."

"Hey!—"

They both looked up at the sound of another resounding slam of the door. Chuck looked at them briefly before retreating into the kitchen. "See you guys later." he mumbled before the front door clicked shut behind him.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"So, where have you been?" Phil asked before she even shut the door. Lil rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Mom. Have you been worried sick?"

He grinned and bent down over a tattered cardboard box. "Don't tell me. At Tommy's?"

"Maybe." She dropped her bag on the kitchen table. "Still unpacking?"

"Yep." He pulled a cracked Reptar gumball machine from the box. Lil raised her eyebrows and thumped the cheap green plastic with her fingernail.

"You're not keeping this, are you?"

"Hells yeah!" he said, grinning widely. "It's a classic!"

She pointed at the crack. "It's broken."

"It's vintage."

Lil shrugged. "All right. Just keep it in your room, with the rest of your junk."

"Are you kidding me?" He made his way into the adjoined living room.

Lil followed. "Um, what are you doing?"

"This is going in the living room. On _display_. Where it should be." He placed it on the mantel above the fireplace.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. Then I'm bringing out all my Dummi Bears stuff."

"No way. Dummi Bears are totally lame."

"You're lame."

"_Lillian_—"

"_Phillip_—"

_ding dong._

Lil bounded toward the door energetically. "Alright! Our very first guest in our very first apartment!" She peered through the peephole. "Awww. It's for you." she said, opening the door. "Hey, Susie." she said, a bit dejectedly.

Susie's grin faded a bit. "Well, good to see you, too, Lil." Phil pushed his sister out of the way and grabbed his girlfriend, pulling her into an enthusiastic kiss.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"I _know_—No, I don't think you're a bad person at all! You're just stating the truth." Angelica dipped the little brush back into the nail polish. Her cell phone perched between her head and shoulder, she started to apply a second coat.

"No—she's so annoying. She—ugh, I _know_!"

Angelica stretched out her long legs and compared her toenails to her freshly painted fingernails—perfect. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in her gilded vanity mirror and smiled. Yes. Absolutely perfect. She blew on her wet nails and, although she was no longer listening, gave her friend a "yeah" or "uh huh" whenever it seemed appropriate.

"Angelica?" Someone was tapping on her bedroom door.

"Hey, Michelle. I gotta go. That's my roommate. Ok…uh huh, buh bye." She flipped the phone shut. "Come in!"

Susie opened the door and Angelica grinned, displaying her shiny red nails. "Whaddaya think?"

Susie gave her a snort. "A real masterpiece, Ang. Michelangelo himself couldn't have done better."

"Why, thank you, Susie. It's about time someone around here recognized my genius."

Susie rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed, sinking deep into a huge pink comforter that gave her the alarming sensation that she was being swallowed by a vicious monster made of cotton candy. "So, did you ever get around to washing the dishes?"

"No," replied Angelica disinterestedly, flipping through an issue of _Vogue_.

"Yeah…I noticed that."

"Then, why did you just waste both of our time by asking?"

Susie groaned and let her head fall back on an obscene number of pillows. Although she was annoyed, she couldn't help bur grin. Their friendship was what you might call a love-hate relationship. "Anyway…I guess we better get going soon."

"My nails aren't dry yet."

"We're gonna be late."

Angelica groaned. "It's not enough that we live together, we have to work together, too."

Susie struggled to pull herself up from the cotton candy monster. "_Girl_. First of all, you better be grateful! I'm the one who got you that job. And second, it's not like we always work the same shift. But since we do tonight, we should ride together and save some gas money."

Angelica looked into the vanity mirror. She reached for a brush and slid it through her long, golden hair slowly. "It's not like I _need _this stupid job, anyway."

"Then why don't you quit? Let Mommy and Daddy pay for everything again?"

Angelica narrowed her blue eyes at Susie's reflection in the mirror. "Are you mocking me, Carmichael?"

"Actually…for once, no. I genuinely want to know. You don't seem to like working there at all."

Angelica put down her brush and opened up her make-up bag. "I dunno…."

"Mmm _hmm_." Susie knew it had to be something more, but didn't push the subject. If Angelica didn't want to talk about something (and she rarely did), then she couldn't be made to. "Ok…well, we gotta be out in five. I'm gonna go change."

"I'm driving." Angelica called out after Susie. She started applying her make-up, not bothering to hurry. "And I saw you smile a minute ago! You can't stay mad at me, can you? Face it, you _love_ me!"

**Author's Notes:**

**I just want to say thank you so much! All of you! Thanks for reading and reviewing and, most of all, for your patience! I can't believe it's really been over eight months since I posted the last part. I honestly didn't mean for that to happen. I really have been writing on and off all year, when I didn't have class or work (which was rarely). I wrote the first seven chapters in July. The rest, I've only written fairly recently.**

**Please keep reading this series! I promise it will continue, hopefully in a timelier manner from now on. I have at least four more parts planned! Also, I'm officially a college graduate now, which means that I'm much too mature for Rugrats fan fic…haha, kidding! I'm still completely immature, don't worry. But it does mean that I should have more time to read and write and such, without all the reading and studying for school. So, next part should be up fairly soon, guys.**

**As for this one, the bulk of it is already written, so the chapters will be up pretty quickly. I just need to tweak a few last things. **

**I hope you all enjoy! R & R! **

**((love))**

*****also, a question! I was wondering, what is Chuckie's full name? I've heard so many different things. I heard he was a junior, a third, etc. but I don't think so. I'm gonna go with 'Charles Crandall Finster'. Is there a consensus on that? Because I also read 'Randall' somewhere….heh. I'd love some input on this! Thanks mucho!**


	3. Not So Secret Admirer

**With your cherry lips and golden curls  
You could make grown men gasp  
When you'd go walking past them  
In your hot pants and high heels  
They could not believe  
That such a body was for real  
It seemed like rainbows would appear  
Whenever you came near the clouds would disappear  
Because you looked just like a girl  
Your baby blues would flash  
And suddenly a spell was cast**

'**cherry lips'—garbage**

"Mademoiselles! But you are late again!"

"I know, Christophe," gasped an out of breath Susie. "And I'm really sorry." She made a beeline for the kitchens. Christophe followed, waving his small arms excitedly.

"But zees is zee second time zees week!"

Angelica followed at a much slower pace, laughing at Christophe's exaggerated gestures. In the narrow hallway, Susie hurriedly put on the little apron over her black slacks and crisp white shirt. "I know…It wasn't my fault." She gave Angelica a dirty look.

Angelica ignored her and reached for her own apron. The tiny manager turned toward her. "Mees Pick_les_! You are not wearing your proper uniform! And you are always late! And your 'air! It can not be like zees! It must be pulled up, not down like zat."

"Why? I don't work in the kitchen. I'm a waitress."

"Zat is not ze matter at ze 'and. What I am saying is—"

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

"It is not the matter at the what?"

He stamped his foot impatiently. "At ze 'and! At ze 'and!"

"…Ohhhhh…" Angelica nodded. "The matter at _hand_. Well, that's all you had to say to begin with."

He stamped his foot impatiently. "Zat is what I—never mind! You are late, and we are very busy. Scoot, scoot, off to work now." He waved his hand as if giving up, and left them standing there.

Angelica burst out laughing. Susie gave her a disapproving look and made her way into the dining area. Angelica quickly caught up to her. "Aww, I _am _starting to annoy you, aren't I?"

Susie turned toward her, arms crossed. "It's just that it's not fair! You can be late and break the rules and show utter contempt and disrespect for everyone, and you'll never get fired! Because the customers love you, no matter how badly you treat them. I don't get it! It's like people, especially men, _like _it when you treat them like crap! And I—I…I have to work now."

"Oh, Susie, come on…"

She walked off and Angelica made to follow, but a very disgruntled Christophe was eyeing her and making more gestures with his little arms. She rolled her eyes very pointedly and then headed toward her section. A man sat at table 12, his face hidden behind a large newspaper. Angelica stopped at his side. She pulled out her notepad and said, without very much enthusiasm, "_Bonjour_, and welcome to _Jardinière_. J'mappelle Angelica. Can I get you something to drink?"

He lowered the newspaper and a handsome face smiled up at her. "Ah, _Angelique_." he said, "And how are you tonight, Beautiful?"

She rolled her eyes for about the millionth time that day. "Ugh, _you _again."

He gave her a genuine laugh, his dark eyes twinkling. "You shouldn't be so rude to the customers!"

"Well, obviously, it doesn't have quite the effect I'm going for. You're still here three times a week."

"As long as you're here, I'll be here."

"Right. You do know that stalking is illegal, right?"

"I'm not stalking you. I just want you to give me a chance."

Although she expected work to be the perfectly horrible ending to an already bad day, Angelica was glad to see him. And she was enjoying their playful bicker even more so than usual. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a little smile. "I don't think so."

He frowned. "Why not? And answer me this time."

She raised her eyebrows. "You want the truth? Even if it offends you?"

He leaned forward on his elbows. "Definitely. Especially if it offends me."

She placed one hand on her hip. "Alright. I'm not going to give you a chance because I know your type. You've got money. That much is obvious. You're well dressed. That Dolce suit cost you three grand, easily. It's from this year's Spring line." He looked down at his suit in surprise.

"Well—I"

"And," she continued, ignoring him, "You can afford to eat here several times a week, and this place isn't exactly cheap. But it's not the fact that you're wealthy that bothers me. Trust me; rich _is_ my type. What bothers me is that you're the kind of man who decides that he wants something and won't stop until he gets it, whether it makes sense or not. Which is why you're chasing me. And you don't even know anything about me. Yet you're still here. So, tell me, why do you want me so badly?"

He grinned. "You're beautiful."

She shook her head in mock exasperation, but couldn't hide her smile.

"And," he continued, "For lack of a better way to put it, you fascinate me."

She laughed. "Right. I'll be back soon with your scotch."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Angelica!"

Angelica pressed a hand to her ear. "Ow!"

Krystal continued squealing into her ear. "_Angelica_!" He's out there! It's your Mystery Man!"

Angelica finished pouring the scotch. "He's hardly _mine_. And I'm aware that he's out there, we already spoke."

"You need to find out some more about him tonight. Get out there!" She tugged at the neckline of Angelica's dress. "And look slutty!"

Angelica pulled away. "Stop that! And I don't care to know about him." she lied.

"You're lying."

"Noooo…"

Krystal sighed in exasperation as she arranged hors d'oeuvres on a silver tray. "You know, you really frustrate me! He's rich, sophisticated, _gorgeous_ and absolutely crazy about you!" She stuffed a piece of escargot into a mushroom agitatedly. "I only attract _losers_! Please, please, please let me live vicariously through you."

"Yeah, you're so right. From now on, I make all my relationship decisions based on what you want."

"You should at least find out his name."

"I already know it. It's Peter."

"_What!?_" the excitable Krystal shrieked. "When did you find out?"

"Dunno. A few days ago."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me! When I totally had a hand in getting you guys together."

"We are not together! And you didn't have a hand in anything."

"I certainly did. He was supposed to be in my section the first night he came in. But you ended up working my tables."

"Yeah, because you had a fight with your psycho boyfriend and were over an hour late."

"Exactly! _You're welcome_." She pushed Angelica, sloshing the scotch a bit. "Now, get back out there. And work it, girl!"

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Angelica set the glass down on the table. "Scotch. Lots of ice."

"Thanks." He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jacket. "You wanna have a cigarette with me?"

"How do you know I even smoke?"

"You do. I can tell."

Angelica looked around. Everyone was busy. They probably wouldn't notice if she sat down for just a minute. She knew she shouldn't. She had been late, and hadn't really done any work since she'd been there. A tiny part of her, the part of her that she'd been ignoring for the past half a year, felt guilty. But the other part won out. She sat down. His brown eyes positively glowed when she smiled and took the cigarette from his outstretched hand. He held out a silver lighter for her and, as she inhaled, she felt really good for the first time in a long time.


	4. Those Who Mind & Those Who Matter

**Thanks for the reviews everyone! i hope everyone had a good holiday. keep reading! (=**

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

_Beep beep beep beep._

No, it can't be morning already.

_Beep beep beep beep._

Dil opened one eye. The red light of his alarm clock was flashing brilliantly in the darkened room.

_Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep._

"Ugh." He reached out and swat at the clock until he found the button that shut the shrill noise off. Slowly, he sat up and peered at the other bed just a few feet away. Tangled there in the sheets was his roommate, some dark haired girl, and quite a few beer cans. Dil rubbed his sleep filled eyes and stood up.

He mumbled "Thanks for keeping me up all night." but his sarcasm went unappreciated, as his roommate was sound asleep, maybe even unconscious. He reached into his drawer for some clothes and bath supplies and began the trek out of his dorm room and down the hallway to the most horrible, repugnant place he'd ever set eyes on—the fourth floor community bathroom.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Where are you?´´

``Um…by a big tree.´´

``Kimi…this place is _filled_ with big trees. How am I supposed to help you if I don't know where you are?´´

``There's this big brick building….´´

Chuck pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed into his cell. ``I can't believe you can't follow simple directions.´´

``Hey, this campus is a lot bigger than mine, ok? And I haven't been here in forever´´

``Excuses, excuses.´´

``Hey, I see you!´´

Chuck whipped around, looking for his sister. ``Are you sure?´´

``No, it's some other big red headed dork. Yes, I'm sure!´´

_Click._

``Kimi?´´

``Boo!´´

He jumped as Kimi grabbed him from behind. She burst out laughing. ``Oh, you scaredy cat! It's just little ole me.´´

``I wasn't…scared…´´

´´Yeah, yeah. Let's go! I'm starving!´´

Chuck shifted his backpack and followed Kimi, who was enthusiastically leading. ``What's good nearby?´´

He shrugged. ``There's always pizza.´´

Kimi wrinkled her nose. ``So over done. What else?´´

``Chinese?´´

``Nah.´´

``Kimi! Just make a decision, ok? I really don´t feel like dealing with this crap today.´´

``Ooooh, qué harsh, bro….yeah, Lil said you've been pissy lately.´´

``Wait, what?´´ He stopped walking. ``She said that?´´

´´Well, she said that Tommy said that.´´

Chuck sighed and continued along the brick path. ``I swear, everyone's always talking about everyone behind their backs.´´

``Nah, that's not true....Just Tommy, about you.´´

``Oh, just my best friend. That's all.´´

``Well, you _have _been a little bitchy lately.´´

He frowned. Kimi took his silence as a reluctant agreement. ``Still no reason for him to complain to other people.´´ he finally mumbled. ``He could always tell me if something's bothering him.´´

´´No, he can't. Boys don't do that. That's what girls are for. We gossip and gossip and, finally, after everyone else knows about your problem, word gets back to you about it, and then you can fix it.´´

``Remind me again why guys even bother with girls.´´

``Because you're pathetic, hormone driven creatures who can't survive without us.´´

´´Oh, yeah.´´

``But, seriously, Chuck…You can talk to Tommy. Or me, you know? I love you. And I'm…well, everyone's, a little worried about you. You seem…you're….you haven't been yourself lately.´´

``You can say it. I seem…depressed.´´

She looked at him questioningly.

´´Is this why you asked me to have lunch with you? So you can interrogate me?´´

Her gaze didn't break.

``I'm not…I'm…just fine.´´ he said, quite unconvincingly.

``Ok, I believe you.´´ she said, just as unconvincingly. ``Just remember. I'm always here for you.´´

``Kimi….´´

She leaned forward expectantly, as though he were about to reveal something of great importance. ``Yeah?´´

``I have something to tell you…´´

``Yeah?´´

``This is probably the most awkward conversation I've ever had.´´

She let out a breath and pushed him. ``Ok, ok, I'll leave you alone. Where do you want to eat?´´

``McDonald's?´´

``I can't eat that crap.´´

´´You're being extra annoying today.´´

´´Well, you're being extra lame today.´´

He was saved from having to think of a comeback, as a girl was stooped on the brick path right in front of them. Apparently, she'd just dropped a stack of books. The wind blew and the pages of the books flew wildly, along with her short dark brown hair. She shot apologetic looks at people as they walked around her, none of them bothering to help. Chuck frowned. He bent down to pick up a few books, which turned out to be much heavier than they looked. He handed them to her. Kimi picked up the last one and gave it to the girl, who, in return, gave them a small smile but didn't say anything.

He wanted to say something to her. He felt that she, like him, was probably often overlooked by others. And she was just standing there in the early afternoon sunlight, clutching her giant stack of books, her eyes shyly averted behind her brown tortoise shell eyeglasses, seemingly waiting for him to say something.

``That's a lot of books.´´ he said.

Kimi rolled her eyes. ``Brilliant observation.´´

The girl bit back a smile and nodded. Then, she turned swiftly and was gone.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

``Excuse me, do you know where the humanities building is?´´

The boy just ignored Dil and kept walking toward his destination.

``Um…ok….Hey! ´Scuse me! Could you help…´´

The blond girl gave Dil a strange look, seemingly in the direction of his ropes of plastic Mardi Gras beads, and kept on.

``Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.´´ Dil reminded himself aloud. A couple passing by glanced at him and then went on, a bit faster than before, the boy's arm around the girl protectively.

He walked down a little further, trying not to stray too far from the student union, as it was one of the few places he recognized. He had to physically stop a dark haired girl who was trying her best to ignore him. He jumped in front of her. ``Excuse me, could you _please _tell me where I might be able to find the humanities building?´´

The girl took one look at him as he blocked her path, hunched over, goggles hanging from his neck amidst the Mardi Gras beads, and she ran away in the other direction. Dil stood in the middle of the brick plaza and stretched out his arms to the sky. ``I am not an animal!´´ he yelled. ``I am a person and deserve to be treated as such!´´

A few people looked at him, some amused and some definitely scared, but most just continued to ignore him.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Kimi's phone went off just as she was biting into her gyro. She hurriedly chewed and picked up her phone. As the display lit up, she smiled. She answered. ``Hey, you.´´

Dil replied in an uncharacteristically listless voice. ``Hey.´´

Kimi frowned. ``What's wrong?´´

``Nothing, really…Just…bad first day.´´

``Awww…´´ Kimi covered the mouthpiece and leaned across the table toward Chuck. ``Dil's day didn't go so great.´´

´´Can we hang out?´´ Dil asked. ``I'd love to see you right now, and salvage what's left of this day.´´

``Um…well, I'm at lunch with Chuck, remember? I--´´

Chuck was waving at her and mouthing for her to go.

``Ok, yeah I'll meet up with you.´´

She hung up and stood, looking through her bag for her wallet. Chuck waved her away. ``I got this.´´

``Oh, come on, don't you ever get tired of being so chivalrous?´´

``This was really great. I feel like we're so wrapped up in our own things we never see each other anymore. I'm willing to pay for lunch with you.´´

She looked at him skeptically. ``I mean, this was awesome,´´ he continued. ``We had gyros, we fought over how to pronounce the word gyro, you accused me of being depressed. Good times.´´

She laughed. ``Ok, I'll buy lunch next time.´´

``How about buy me a couple of beers instead?´´

She leaned down and kissed his cheek. ``See you later, Big Brother.´´

As he watched Kimi hurry off to meet her boyfriend, Chuck felt very alone. But there was no point in making her stay. He felt alone when he was with people, too. And he wanted desperately to get out of this rut. Not even for himself, but for others. He felt that it was selfish to behave this way. He tried to flag down the waiter, to no avail. After he got out of there, he would walk around the city. To where, he didn't know. It didn't matter. He just had to get out. Chuck lifted a hand in the air and waved it, but was ignored. ``Invisible.´´ he muttered.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

For the next few days, Chuck looked for the book girl. At first, it was unconscious. When he realized that he was sneaking glances at every girl who crossed his path, he wasn't even sure why he was looking for her. She wasn't particularly beautiful or memorable. She hadn't even said anything to him and the one thing he'd said to her was really (really) stupid. His instinct told him to get out before he embarrassed himself further, yet he felt that there was something about her. So, he found himself scanning the campus as he walked to his classes. Four days later, there was still no sign of her and he had to admit defeat. One of those rare moments had arisen when he really _would _have gone after something he wanted, and he couldn't find her.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

When Chuck got home from work, Tommy was on the couch with Lil, the tv blaring in the background, completely forgotten. They broke apart quickly, seemingly out of respect for Chuck's feelings. Half annoyed, half amused, Chuck realized that everyone thought he was going to off himself at any moment. ``Hey,´´ he said, with exaggerated enthusiasm. ``What´s up?´´

Lil was running her fingers through her long hair, trying, and failing miserably, to make it look presentable. ``Studying.´´ she said, indicating the stack of books on the table.

``Right.´´

Tommy grinned and reached for his Geology book. ``We really should do our homework, though.´´

Chuck's smile faded. He groaned and covered his face with his hands. ``I don't even want to think about homework. This whole school and job thing is killing me. I'm tired, dammit. I hate my life.´´

Lil pouted and wrapped him in a tight hug. ``Oh, no, you do _not_. You're just going through a rough patch.´´ Chuck pried her arms from his body and reminded himself not to say anything to worry his friends, even if only in jest.

``Yeah,´´ said Tommy, who was feeling much less resentful toward Chuck lately. ``It's got to suck. All you do is go to school and work. You should relax every now and then.´´ He flipped open his text. ``Which reminds me, pool party this weekend.´´

Chuck grinned. ``Actually, that sounds awesome. I'm not working this weekend at all. Can you believe it?´´ He reached in his backpack for his notebook. ``When and where?´´

``Saturday, at Susie's.´´

Chuck faltered very momentarily, and then continued as if nothing were wrong. ``Oh, cool. I haven't seen her in a while.´´ When no one else said anything, Chuck had to. What should have been a perfectly comfortable silence among friends had the unusual heavy feel of tension. ``Can she even have a pool party? In the apartment complex pool, I mean?´´

Tommy shrugged. ``She's going to. The owners like Susie. They'll let her get away with anything.´´

``Angelica won't be there,´´ said Lil. ``She's going out of town for the weekend.´´ Chuck shrugged and stared at his history notes. ``It's just a coincidence that she won't be there,´´ she continued, ``But I think it's good…I mean…things might be awkward…for you…´´ Chuck just kept staring at his history notes, not really reading but trying his best to appear fascinated by the French Revolution.

Undeterred, Lil kept on. ``I told Tommy I wondered if you'd even seen her since you guys…broke up...´´

``And I told her,´´ cut in Tommy, ``that girls need to learn to mind their own business.´´ Despite the fact that they hadn't been getting along great lately, Chuck was filled with a sudden appreciation for his best friend. He shot Tommy a grateful look and then glanced in Lil´s direction. ``It's not…awkward. I don't really care if I see her or not.´´ Lil gave him a look which plainly said she didn't know whether to believe him or not. Chuck himself didn't know what he felt or believed anymore.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Susie looked up from her issue of _Cosmopolitan_. ``Angelica, I really don't think three purses is necessary for two days.´´

``Hey, you never know.´´ Angelica replied cheerily, stuffing her blue Coach bag into her suitcase.

``Hmm.´´ Susie looked back down, flipping the page. Angelica turned toward her vanity and opened up her make-up case. She perused her vast collection, her brow furrowed in concentration. From beneath the vanity, she took out her significantly smaller (albeit still large) travel case and started to fill it with tubes and bottles. Susie watched from the corner of her eye with amusement as her roommate stood with her hands on her hips, biting her lip as though making a life altering decision. ``Do you think I'll need bronzer?´´´

``For a weekend at the beach? No. You'll tan naturally. Duh.´´

Angelica set down the bottle. ``Yeah, you're right.´´

``Wow, I never hear you say that. I'm right, you say?´´ Angelica ignored her.

``Hey, check it,´´ said Susie, sitting up on the bed. She held the magazine open to an article. ``_56 ways to make your man beg for more_.´´

``I already know them all.´´

``Ha! You ho!´´

Angelica opened her mouth in an `o´ of mock surprise. ``Carmichael! Language, language.´´

``Ho isn't a swear word. And neither is hoochie.´´

Angelica threw a tube of lip gloss at her. ``I'm not a ho _or _a hoochie.´´

``Number one, use ice to hit his hot spots.´´

``Do you think I need my red Manolos? I already packed the black ones, but I dunno…I might need the red ones…´´

``Oooooh, number 17, satisfy his sweet tooth with chocolate.´´

``Maybe I am overpacking…´´

``He'll gladly skip dessert for--´´

``Susie! You're not listening!´´

Susie rolled her eyes. ``Yes, you _are_ overpacking! You don't need all that crap for two days!´´

``Hmm…I think I'll pack the red ones, too.´´

``You're hopeless, girl.´´

``Which swimsuits.´´

``You only need one.´´

Angelica held up a silvery bikini. After a moment, she put it in her bag. From her closet, she pulled out a white, flowy swimsuit cover, which was spotted with yellow flowers.

``Ooh, can I borrow that?´´

Angelica shrugged and tossed it on the bed. ``It doesn't match this swimsuit anyway.´´

Susie held up the strapless cover to her body. ``I love this. I'm gonna wear it tomorrow.´´

Angelica finally closed the suitcase. Struggling with the zipper, she said, ``I can't believe you're having a pool party without me. How lame.´´

``You'll be at the beach!´´

Angelica panted, a little out of breath from her fight with the suitcase. ``Who's all coming, anyway?´´

``You know, everyone.´´

Angelica sat on the suitcase, willing it to shut. ``Who's everyone?´´

``Phil, Tommy, Lil, Chuck, Kimi, Dil. You know, everyone.´´

Angelica hesitated very briefly but then quickly stood, finally getting her suitcase closed. ``Oh, ok.´´ She walked to the dresser and picked up her cigarettes. She took one out and held it between her fingers daintily. She picked up her lighter.

``Don't smoke that inside.´´

``Course not, Mom.´´

Angelica looked at her, started to say something, but changed her mind and turned to leave.

``Did you wanna say something, Ang?´´

``Yeah,´´ Angelica said as she left, ``If you mess up my swimsuit cover, you die.´´


	5. Reminiscences and Raindrops

``Baby.´´

Phil stood rooted to the spot, deep in conversation with Dil. Susie directed her exasperated look at Kimi, who laid beside her on her own lounge chair.

``Sweetie.´´ she called again. Kimi giggled.

``_Phillip_!´´

Phil jumped. ``Huh?´´

``Move, you're blocking my sun.´´

Phil grinned goofily. ``Oh, come on. Everyone knows that black people don't tan.´´

``And the most politically incorrect statement of the day goes to--´´ chimed in Kimi.

``Me!´´ replied Phil, with apparent pride. He took a bow. Tommy walked by quite casually, pushing Phil in the pool as he passed. The girls erupted in a chorus of laughter. Lil raised her eyebrows as she walked through the gate to the pool. ``What's going on here?´´

Tommy turned, opened his mouth, but, as he faced his girlfriend, he forgot what he was about to say.

``Um, what is _that_?´´

Lil tossed her towel on an open lounge chair. ``What's what?´´

``That thing you're wearing.´´

Lil smiled and turned, modeling her bikini, which was emblazoned with the stars and stripes of Old Glory herself. ``It's cute, huh? I got it on sale after 4th of July.´´

``_Cute_? It's something, alright.´´ He looped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. ``God bless _America_!´´ he yelled loudly. A family on the other side of the pool was staring. He started nibbling at her neck and she shrieked, ``Tommmeee….´´ The mother of the family gave them a dirty look and covered her little boy's eyes with her hand.

``Don't they just make you sick?´´ asked Dil. From the pool, Phil made loud vomiting noises to show his agreement.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Chuck kicked a rock down the sidewalk. He checked his cell phone once more to see if anyone had called him. No one. He sighed and put it back in his pocket. Everyone was probably having a great time. Obviously, no one was worried that he didn't show up to the party. Chuck shoved his hands in his pockets and suffered through an image of everyone gathered around the pool, laughing at one of Phil's jokes, unconcerned about him. He silently wished for a torrential downpour to ruin their fun but then frowned as he noticed the direction his thoughts were taking him. He wasn't usually vindictive in the least, but he hated that they were having a party without him. They just didn't understand. So what if Angelica wasn't there. He still couldn't be at her apartment, among all her things, with the scent of her perfumes and sprays lingering in the air, and not think of her.

He turned round a corner and stopped abruptly as he suddenly realized he had no idea where he was. He didn't recognize anything. How long had he been walking? He furrowed his brow and tried to remember where he had made a wrong turn. Normally, he would have worried himself sick, convinced that only the worst could happen. But, if the encounter with the book girl had taught him anything, it was that he was never going to get anywhere without taking a chance every now and then. He randomly chose left and walked on.

A moment later, he checked his phone again, just to make sure the volume was high enough. It was. He didn't even know why he was upset. He had made it very clear that he wanted everyone to leave him alone. Yet, he was a little hurt that no one cared enough to check on him. Lost in thought, he almost tripped but caught himself on the brick wall of a little drugstore. Looking down, he saw that his shoelaces had come untied again. They were constantly coming untied. Angelica used to threaten to make him wear shoes with Velcro snaps. He frowned. There she was, popping up in his head again. That had been happening a lot lately. It disconcerted him, especially since he'd managed to go a long time without thinking of her. He didn't know if he should think of her, or if he even wanted to. His thoughts and feelings were so jumbled lately. He didn't like feeling confused and sad. He was too old for this adolescent bullshit.

He couldn't help but think of her once he started, and the questions that he never dared to ask aloud flowed through his mind. He wanted to know what she was doing, how she was doing, and if she missed him, even if it was only a little bit, even if it was only on rainy afternoons (because on rainy afternoons they used to play Scrabble, which they're both horrible at, and would always end up just making out instead).

And it was a bit ironic that, as Chuck Finster replayed this memory in his mind, _savored_ it as though he would die at any moment, the first raindrop of that afternoon's torrential downpour hit his head. And little did he know, that that was the last time he would think of Angelica for a while.


	6. Serendipity

The drizzle became a downpour in a matter of seconds, and was quickly becoming a violent storm. Chuck held up his hand in a futile attempt to shield his glasses, which were becoming useless to him, from the rain. He made a run for it, almost tripping up on his untied laces again, and ran into the first place he came to. As he entered, a little bell announced his arrival. He hurriedly wiped his glasses, starting to turn back into his old worrisome self as he was soaking wet, temporarily blind and had no idea where he was. He put his glasses back on, but still could see nothing through the streaks. He took a step forward and ran straight into something. The something (or someone, rather) let out a soft yelp of surprise, and they both fell, something hard and heavy missing Chuck´s fingers by a mere inch. And that was the last observation he made before he lost consciousness.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

``Are you quite all right?´´

Chuck groaned and clutched his forehead in his hands. He groaned again as he realized a bump had begun to form there. He opened his eyes slowly and a grayish blur asked him again if he was ok.

``I'm blind.´´ he whispered.

The woman laughed. ``No, you're not, silly. You're just not wearing your glasses.´´ she said in a crisp English accent.

Someone replied, in a much softer English accent, ``I was cleaning them properly, he made a real mess of them. Here you are.´´ When he had his sight back, Chuck made to lean up on his elbows. A hand touched his arm. ``Not so fast.´´ It was the softer voice and, as he looked up, Chuck saw that it belonged to the book girl. Her hand still on his arm, she smiled. And he just stared. He didn't know how he could have possibly thought that she wasn't beautiful. She really was, though in a much less conventional sense. Her dark brown hair was short and straight, and would have made her look quite severe if the face it framed weren't lit up by a pretty smile. Bright green eyes shone behind her brown tortoise shell glasses.

He grinned goofily. ``Book girl.´´

She gave him a half-amused, half-worried look. ``I'm sorry, what?´´

The woman broke in. ``He's delirious.´´

Chuck sat up straight. ``I'm not--´´

``Absolutely mad--´´

The girl rolled her eyes. ``Oh, Natalie, he's not _mad_.´´ She clasped his hand in hers and leaned close. ``Are you?´´ she asked in a whisper. He just grinned and, after a few seconds of her tugging his hand, he realized that she was trying to help him up. When they were both standing, she looked at him questioningly.

``I'm fine.´´ he said.

``Well, he's alright then, Emmeline.´´ Chuck finally broke his gaze away from the girl to look at the woman who spoke, who was also pretty and young, although obviously a bit older. Her hair was longer and a lighter shade of brown but she had the same green eyes.

``Emmeline?´´ he asked.

The girl's cheeks tinged. ``Family name, for my grandmother.´´ She held out her hand. ``You can call me Emmy.´´

He clasped her small hand in his. ``I'm Chuck.´´

She indicated the woman. ``This is my sister, Natalie. This is her bookshop.´´ He finally looked around and noticed that he was indeed in what appeared to be a used bookstore. Old, mismatched volumes lined the shelves and scattered on the hardwood floor, around his feet, were several more. He ran a hand through his messy hair and smiled sheepishly. ``You were carrying those…when I ran into you…´´

``Well, I'm sure it was I who ran into you. But I'm fine. You're the one who was unconscious.´´

``Scared us a bit.´´ said Natalie. ``But all's well now, right? So…don't sue us.´´

He laughed. ``Well, I was going to, but since you asked nicely…´´

Natalie smiled. ``He's got a sense of humour, this one. Even after being bloody knocked out by my little sister, the maladroit.´´

``The…what?´´ he asked.

Emmy rolled her eyes. ``It's basically like a complete klutz. She calls me that all the time. Because she has to be such a sesquipedalian.´´

Chuck raised his eyebrows. ``Ok, I'm lost.´´

``Someone who uses big words.´´ explained Emmy. ``But it is the truth, though, about me. I can't go a day without taking a spill. And I just seem to attract trouble. It really is unfortunate.´´

``Sounds like it,´´ said Chuck. ``Very unfortunate.´´ he reiterated, though he was smiling like she'd just told him something very funny. She raised her eyebrows and caught the eyes of her sister, who mouth the word `mad´ before turning to Chuck.

``How about some tea?´´ she offered. ``It's the least I can since the maladroit almost killed you and all.´´

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

``Perfect tea weather,´´ said Emmy, indicating the rain splattered window.

``I've never really had hot tea.´´ admitted Chuck.

``Not even when you were sick as a child?´´ asked Natalie. She squeezed the juice of a lemon into her tea. ``Our mum did that all the time. Her tea was the best, it made all ailments better in half an hour every time, without fail.´´

He smiled at Emmy. ``That must have been nice. All I ever got was medicine and doctor visits for every little thing. My dad's sort of a hypochondriac. Then, so am I, according to my friends.´´

Emmy sipped her tea. ``Well, I don't really remember, myself. She died when I was only two. So…´´

``Oh.´´ he frowned. ``I'm sorry.´´

``It's ok. Like I said, I don't really remember her.´´

``I don't remember my mom, either. My real mom. She died not long after I was born, though my dad's been remarried ever since I was two, so she's basically my mom.´´

Emmy pointed at Natalie. ``She's basically mine. Raised me since Dad died, when I was 12.´´

``Wow.´´ He looked at Natalie. ``How old were you?´´´

``18.´´

``That's…wow.´´

The girls looked at each other in amusement.

``What I mean is...that takes a strong person.´´

Natalie looked away as if she were going to blush, or cry, or both. ``It's nothing.´´

``She's modest.´´ insisted Emmy.

``Well, what as I going to do? Give her up to strangers? We don't have any more family. No…I could never stand to be apart from my Emmeline.´´

Emmy smiled. ``She even followed me here.´´

``That's right. I wasn't about to let you come all the way to the states for uni and leave me behind.´´

``Uni?´´ asked Chuck.

``College.´´

``And,´´ continued Natalie, ``I'm glad I did. It's lovely and sunny here every day.´´ She glanced toward the window, where the storm still raged. ``Well, most days.´´

Chuck finally drank some of his tea, which was pleasantly different from anything he'd ever had. As the heat coursed through his body, he thought about the deep bond that Emmy and Natalie so obviously shared. He wondered if Kimi would move to another country for him. And, just as he was thinking of her, she was thinking of him. Isn't it funny how that seems to happen? People often underestimate the bonds they share. His cell went off in his pocket. He was startled out of his reverie, as was Emmy, who spilled tea all over the tabletop (she really was terribly clumsy).

``Hello?´´

``Hey, Big Brother. What's up?´´

``Having tea.´´

``Tea?´´

He grinned. ``Never mind. What's up with you?´´

``Just calling to check up on you. Everyone was upset that you didn't show, loser.´´

``So, how _is _the party?´´

Kimi sighed. ``We got rained out.´´

Chuck smiled. ``Aww. That´s too bad.´´


	7. Nouveau Riche

Angelica held up the silver chandelier earring to one ear, and the diamond stud to the other. She studied her reflection in the mirror and frowned. ``Hey, Susie!´´ She put down the stud and picked up a silver hoop. ``Carmichael!´´

Susie walked in, giving her annoyed look. ``What?´´

``Which looks better with this dress?´´

``I like the dangly ones.´´

``Me, too.´´ Angelica started to put in the chandelier earrings.

``You're not going out again? You must still be dehydrated from this weekend.´´

``Are you trying to say that I drink too much?´´

``I'm just saying, it's a Tuesday night.´´

``Well, I'm not going out drinking. But you should come with next time. You really need to have a little fun.´´

``I _do_ have fun. But life's not all about fun. Sometimes…it's about sacrifice.´´

``Is this the part when the little star shoots across the tv screen and you're all like `the more you know´?´´

``Ha ha. So…´´ Susie plopped down on the bed. ``Where _are _you going, all dolled up?´´

``I have a date.´´

``Hmm. With who?´´

``Peter.´´

Susie sat up, suddenly a lot more interested. ``Restaurant Peter? Stalker?´´

``Oh, come on. He's not a stalker.´´

``Yeah, right. If he weren't rich, you'd be callin´ the police, and you know it.´´ She switched into a mimicking voice. ``Help, help, there's a man after me, and his clothes are from Wal-Mart!´´

Angelica ignored her.

``That's a pretty revealing dress for a first date,´´ said Susie, indicating Angelica's short red dress.

``My, you're awfully judgmental tonight.´´

``I prefer to think of it as advice.´´

``Well, as much as I appreciate your advice, I think I can make my own decisions.´´

Susie held up her hands. ``Ok, Ok, just trying to help.´´

Angelica picked up her purse and took one last look in the mirror. Apparently satisfied, she started to leave.

``Aren't you going to take _any _of my advice?´´

``Yes, the chandelier earrings are _beautiful_.´´

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

``Yeah?´´

``Hey, Suze.´´ Angelica said into her cell.

``Hey. How's the date going?´´

``Great. He took me to this cute little Italian place. Nice, but not too pretentious. Expensive, though.´´

``Thanks for clarifying.´´

``I mean, it's nice to know he's not a cheapskate, that's all.´´

``Angelica, did you actually look at the bill when he wasn't looking or something?´´

``No!´´

``I dunno--´´

``_Anyway_, he's in the restroom right now and we're about to leave. I was thinking of bringing him to our place.´´

``On the first date? You ho.´´

``I'm not going to sleep with him,´´ she explained impatiently. ``I was just calling to ask if it was ok with you.´´

``Wow, that's really thoughtful…wait, that doesn't sound like you. What do you really want?´´

``Ok, I wanted to ask you to leave for a little while.´´

``Uh, no.´´

``Oh, come on!´´

``You have your own room.´´

``I'm not taking him in my room. That's like an invitation for sex! And I just maybe wanna make out with him a little. Which is why I need the couch.´´

``Well, Phil and I are on the couch right now, and we're not moving.´´

``Oh, _fine_!´´

_Click._

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Susie whipped her head around at the sound of a key turning in the lock. ``I wonder if she brought him back.´´ said Phil, throwing popcorn in his mouth. Susie shrugged and changed the channel as a particularly annoying commercial came on. Angelica opened the door tentatively and peered in. Her face fell when she saw Susie and Phil. ``Oh, you're here.´´

She came in, the handsome Peter following. He flashed a charming smile at Susie. ``Hi, Susie.´´ Susie surveyed his straight, almost eerily white teeth with indifference. ``Hi, Peter.´´ He walked across the room and held out his hand to Phil without hesitation. ``Peter Erikson.´´

``Phil Deville.´´

Susie motioned at Phil to scoot down. ``Sit down if you want.´´ she said to Peter.

As Peter and Angelica sat down, Phil asked, ``Erikson?´´

Peter nodded. ``Great to meet you.´´

``Peter Erikson?´´ Phil asked again.

Susie eyed him. ``What are you doing?´´

``It's just…that name's really familiar. And you look familiar, too. Do we know each other?´´

Angelica made an incredulous noise. ``I doubt it.´´

Susie rolled her eyes and turned back toward the tv. If Angelica wasn't going to be polite, then she certainly wasn't going to bother. Phil also looked at the tv, but then quickly turned back to Peter, dropping his popcorn in excitement. ``I know who you are! I sat on you the other day!´´

``I'm sorry, what?´´

Phil laughed. ``Your face is on that bench is Daniel Lewiston Park. You're the real estate guy.´´

``Uh, Yes. I'm in real estate.´´

Angelica nodded and smiled widely, obviously happy she'd landed a good catch.

``Well, that's one way to put it.´´ said Phil.

Angelica looked at him strangely. ``What do you mean?´´

``He's only bought and sold like every property around here. He's like the Donald Trump of here.´´

Peter looked a little embarrassed. ``Well, I'm not _that_ rich…´´

``But, I mean, you're pretty rich. I saw you on one of those shows.´´

Angelica and Susie just stared.

``You know, one of those shows that girls love. Like, a celebrity gossip thing.´´

``Celebrity?…´´ murmured Angelica.

``_The Fabulous Life of_! That's it!´´

Angelica's blue eyes widened and she looked at her date questioningly. He gave her a sheepish look and ran a hand through his thick, dark brown hair. ``Ok…so…you got me. I'm sort of a millionaire.´´


	8. Chill in the Air

Susie Carmichael was bewildered. The past month had been so bizarre, so strange, so…different. Not that she was afraid of change. It was often for the best. She looked down at Phil, who slumbered peacefully across her lap, his legs stretched out on the couch. She smiled. Yes, sometimes change was very good. Although he could sometimes be moody or too facetious or just downright annoying, Phil was, to use an old cliché, the best thing that ever happened to her.

But lately everything felt a bit odd. However, things _seemed_ to be improving. Angelica was in a much better mood since she started dating a millionaire. When Susie relayed this observation to Angelica, she only replied with, ``_Multi_-millionaire, you mean.´´ And, much to Susie's surprise, Peter was a pretty great guy. He was modest (well as modest as a self-made real estate tycoon could be), and kind and thoughtful. He gave copious amounts of money away—to charities, to churches, to schools. He was handsome and charming. Not to mention, he adored Angelica and showered her with gifts and luxuries.

And then there was Chuck and his girlfriend. Chuck was more careful, with a tendency to take things slow. He didn't tell them anything about her at first, except that they'd quite literally run into each other in a bookstore on the other side of town. When he didn't bring her around for the first few weeks, Tommy joked that he must be afraid they'd scare her off. Chuck laughed and immediately brought her to meet them, but Susie had the feeling he really had been nervous, and with good reason. When Emmy first walked in, Phil had stepped forward, hand extended, and, in a very loud voice, said, ``Hell-_o_! Wel-come to Am-er-_ica_!´´ Thankfully, Phil wasn't the only one with a sense of humor. She just smiled, took his hand, and told him that since she was from England, where English did, after all, originate, she was pretty sure she had a grasp on the language. And Emmy was great, too. Susie knew why Chuck liked her. She was almost like a female version of him. They had so much in common.

Neither Chuck nor Angelica knew about the other. Their friends were exactly hiding the information, but they weren't giving it out either. It was sort of an unspoken agreement among them. No one dared tell Chuck about Angelica's millionaire, because, for the first time in a long time, he seemed genuinely happy. And Susie herself knew best of all not to say anything to Angelica. Even though Angelica seemed to have gotten over Chuck long ago (she was, after all, the one who ended it), Susie knew that Angelica would still be inexplicably jealous. She was like that with all her ex-boyfriends. It just didn't make sense. But people rarely do, you know. Susie raked a hand through Phil's hair gently. He twisted a little and a sleepy smile crossed his face. Susie grinned, watching him dream. Yes, change was often for the best.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

The October of that year blew in with an inexplicable chill, both literally and figuratively. The first day was unseasonably cold. The news reporters even remarked on how unusual it was, but only momentarily, before going to a much longer segment on some celebrity couple's divorce. People never pay attention to the important things, which often seem like the unimportant things. If they would just pay attention, they could have the answers they so desperately crave. If this particular group of friends had noticed how different this October was, they would have known that things were about to change.

Along with the chill in the air came the chill of discontent. The first to feel it was Tommy. It hit him almost right away, on a Sunday afternoon. He opened his eyes and stared at the bedroom ceiling. Although Lil was warm and soft against his chest, he couldn't nap with her. His mind crawled with thoughts that couldn't let him enjoy being snuggled against her on this unusually cold afternoon. Tommy couldn't deny the truth anymore. He was unhappy. Not terribly unhappy…but not terribly happy. Discontent with life. He brushed his fingers through Lil's hair and smiled. He'd always told her that she was all he needed and he'd like to think it was true…But then why did he feel this way? He had a great life. He was popular in high school, and a decent student. He got the girl and went to college where he did fairly well in his classes, shared an apartment with his best friend, and basically had a lot of fun. But something was missing. He frowned and closed his eyes. Maybe he'd think about it later. He was suddenly very tired.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

``You're such a nerd!´´

Chuck put down the comic book, an expression of mock injury on his face. ``So says the library science major.´´

Emmy hid a smile behind her book. ``So, are you calling _me _a nerd?´´

``Something like that. And stop hogging the blanket, nerd.´´

She squealed as he pulled the blanket off of her. ``Stop it! I'm cold!´´ She tugged at the blanket, pulling it back on her.

``_I'm _cold.´´ he said, pushing her with his feet.

``Keep your feet on your side of the couch.´´

``Um, I own this couch, so all of it's mine.´´

``So, what are you going to do? Kick me off?´´

``Maybe.´´ He grabbed her arm playfully.

``Oh, you better not--´´

He stopped her with a kiss and she melted against him, all threats forgotten.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Angelica brushed her hair, carefully studying her reflection in the gilded mirror. She saw what she always saw—long, golden blond hair falling over her shoulders, clear blue eyes, pink lips curved in a mischievous smile. Yet she wrinkled her petite nose as if looking at something distasteful. Something seemed wrong. She set down her brush and leaned forward, her nose almost touching the mirror, as if the pane of glass held some deep secret. However, if her reflection knew something, it wasn't telling.

``What are you doing?´´

Angelica jumped. ``Holy _shit_, you scared me!´´

Peter gave her an amused look. ``Sorry, Darling.´´

She stood and walked over to him, legs still a bit shaky. She ran a hand through his dark hair. ``Well, _maybe _I'll forgive you.´´

``Oh, you'll forgive me.´´

``You seem so sure.´´

He pulled away briefly, to pull a small box from his pocket. She took it with a smile. Inside was a pair of diamond earrings. ``Ooh, diamonds, my favorite. How'd you know?´´

``Just a hunch.´´

She gave him a long kiss. ``That's what I like about you. You're so _intuitive_.´´

He laughed. ``And you're adorable.´´

She wrinkled her nose. ``_Adorable_?´´

``Beautiful. Stunning. Sexy. Addictive. Take your pick.´´

``Much better.´´

He kissed her forehead. ``Shall we go to dinner? I know this great place, with a magnificent view, not to mention cocktails to die for.´´

She leaned down in front of the mirror and started to put in her new earrings. ``Sounds great. What's it called?´´

``The Rainbow Room.´´

She laughed. ``Right.´´

He grinned.

``You're serious? _The_ Rainbow Room? In the Rockefeller Center? In _New York_?´´

``Absolutely. We'll take my jet. So we'll be a little late. We can snack on the way.´´

She smiled excitedly. ``Yes. Yes. Yes!´´ she hurriedly put in the other earring. ``Are we staying overnight?´´

He shrugged. ``Maybe.´´

``Then I need to pack.´´

``Who says you'll need clothes?´´

She grinned. ``But seriously…´´

``If you need anything, we'll just buy it in the city.´´

She grabbed her purse. ``Ok, I'm ready.´´

She followed him, only pausing to turn out the light and give her room one last sweeping glance. Her eyes hesitated on the mirror. She still felt that there was something different about her reflection. Even Angelica, who always adamantly refused to acknowledge or explore her feelings, felt the oddness of that October. Peter wrapped an arm around her. ``That view, by the way, is from the 65th floor.´´ Angelica smiled, and turned to leave. She realized that something was wrong, but, like most humans, she decided to worry about it later.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

The third person to feel it was Susie. It hit her on a Wednesday night halfway through October, as she was pouring Chardonnay for a couple at _Jardinière_. Although the chill literally pervaded her body, making her bones feel as though they were carved from ice, Susie left them with a cheery fake smile. When she re-entered the kitchen, she let her smile falter. She suddenly did not want to be there at all. Something felt off. Strange. She had to get out. Susie knew that she should be grateful to have a good job. Although she hadn't grown up poor by any stretch, her parents had always taught her that hard work was the key to success. They'd never let her go without, but would rather she earn her own keep. Which she was fine with. She liked her job most of the time. But, that night, she knew something was wrong. Cristophe turned the corner just as Susie sat down on a nearby stool. She held her face in her hands and sighed.

``But, Su_zie_, what is ze matter?´´

Susie looked him straight in the eyes and, without hesitation, for one of the few times in her life, she lied.

``I have a migraine. Can I go home?´´

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Angelica set down her champagne glass as her cell rang. Peter grabbed her arm playfully. ``Don't get that.´´´

She giggled as his lips brushed her ear. ``It might be important.´´ He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, the steaming water of the Jacuzzi sloshing around them. ``I can't _not _answer my phone.´´ she insisted.

He kissed her jaw. ``Yes, you can.´´

The cell kept on in the background.

``You filthy hypocrite. You're the same way.´´

``Next time my phone rings, I promise not to answer.´´

``Liar.´´

She got out and grabbed a towel as she scurried to the table. ``It's still ringing. See, it must be important.´´ She flipped it open and read _Susie Calling_.

``Hey.´´

``Hey,´´ said Susie.

Angelica cradled the phone between her chin and shoulder as she wrapped the towel around her swimsuit. ``I thought you were at work. Everything ok?´´

``Yeah…well, no. I left work because I didn't feel well.´´

``Aww…´´

``Yeah…so, you wanna go out?´´

``I thought you didn't feel well.´´

``I don't…I mean….it's hard to explain…I just had to get out of there.´´

``So you bailed on work to go out?….This is very unlike you…I kinda like it…so, where do you wanna go?´´

``It's Wednesday night. Karaoke at _The Cat's Meow_.´´


	9. The Cat's Meow

Susie's face lit up as she entered _The Cat's Meow_. The graffitied tables and dim lamps had never been so inviting. She inhaled deeply and smiled, as though she smelled a rose garden or fresh laundry, rather than grease and flat beer.

"_This_ is your favorite place in the whole world?" Phil asked.

"Yeah, isn't it great?"

"It's kind of a dump, isn't it?" he said with a crooked smile.

Susie gave him an indignant look. "It's _beautiful_."

He kissed her cheek. "If you think it's beautiful, then I think it's beautiful."

"I've trained you well."

"Hey—"

"Susie Q!"

Susie whipped her head around and smiled widely. "Felix!" She let out a very un-Susie like squeal and literally ran to the bar, behind which a stout, friendly looking older man stood, looking even more excited than Susie.

"I can't believe it!" he said. "Where ya been?"

"Working. Studying."

"Sounds terrible."

"Worse than your singing."

"Hey now, Susie Q, play nice."

She laughed. "You know what I think it's time for?"

He threw down his towel and held out his arms. "Awkward over the bar hug?"

"Awkward over the bar hug!" confirmed Susie excitedly, and the awkward over the bar hugging commenced. Phil stood in the background, one hand in his hair uncomfortably. After a moment of chatting, Susie (_finally_, thought Phil grumpily) turned around and introduced him to the famous Felix.

After they'd both gotten beers (on the house), they sat down at a table on which Johnny had professed his never-ending love for Michelle in blue Sharpie. Phil took a swig of his drink and took in his surroundings. On the little stage where a group of inebriated boys were singing Journey's _Don't Stop Believin' _was an outdated karaoke system. Red and blue lights shone down on them, and a string of multi colored Christmas lights lined the stage below them. Covering the walls were posters celebrating America's finest pop culture achievements, from _The Breakfast Club_ to the Beatles' White Album. Every space not covered by a poster was covered with pen, pencil and permanent marker. Phil got the feeling that this was the kind of establishment that encouraged graffiti. He looked at his girlfriend, whose face was aglow with the kind of rapt wonder one usually reserved for spiritual revelations.

"I can't believe you haven't brought me here before."

Her gaze broke and she turned to him. "Me neither…I haven't been here myself in the past year. Been so busy." She finally took a sip of her beer.

Phil frowned. "It's just that I feel sort of left out."

She set down her glass and gave him a weird look. "What do you mean?"

"It's like…there's this whole other part of your life that I was never a part of. Tonight…I've never seen you look so happy, and you haven't even gotten up on stage yet."

"Phil…" She covered his hand with hers. "Singing's only one of my passions. You're the other. You're always gonna come first, you know that, don't you?"

He shrugged. She leaned close. "And you're part of my life _now_, that's what matters. And you're gonna be part of my life, the most important part, from now on, I hope."

He brushed a finger against her cheek. "You can bet on it." She smiled and he leaned in a bit further to kiss her.

"Gross, Carmichael, get a room."

Susie rolled her eyes. "You always have to ruin my fun."

Angelica set her purse down on the table. "I think you've got it backwards. _You_ always ruin _my_ fun." Peter grinned and pulled out a chair for Angelica. She eyed it warily but eventually sat. She immediately lit up a cigarette. "Whatcha singing, Carmichael?"

"Dunno yet."

Angelica exhaled and used her free hand to push the ketchup-splattered book in Susie's direction. "Well, go on, pick something."

"What about you?"

"I'm not singing tonight."

"Oh, come on," said Susie, with a wicked smile, "We all know how good you are."

"Well, _obviously_. But I don't wanna outshine you."

Susie opened the book and started to flip through the laminated pages. "Gee, thanks," she replied, still smiling.

Phil pointed at a page. "Spice Girls! Do that one!"

"Only if Angelica sings with me."

Peter reappeared behind Angelica, two drinks in his hands. "What's Angelica singing?"

"Wannabe." Phil said.

Peter laughed. "Oh, I can't wait to see this."

"Well you're not going to see it, because it's not going to happen." Angelica said.

"Oh, come on!"

She snubbed out her cigarette and grasped her drink as he handed it to her. "What's this?"

"Martini, extra dry, extra olives. Your favorite."

"Well, yeah, but how'd you get it here? They never make them for me, no matter how persuasive I am."

"Well, I guess I'm more persuasive. About $200 more persuasive."

Angelica raised her eyebrows. "You paid $200 just to get me a martini?"

He shrugged as he pulled up a chair beside her. "I just want to make you happy."

"Ok," broke in Susie, "I got a song." She scribbled the title down on the slip of paper and left to turn it in. When she got back, Angelica lit up her second cigarette and smiled. "It's good to see you happy, Susie…it really is."

Susie smiled back. "And it's good to see you happy, Ang."

Angelica exhaled and gave her a weird look. "Whaddaya mean? I was never unhappy."

Normally, Susie would have just let it go, but she felt that it was a night for honesty. "You know what I mean…It's usually like a superficial happiness, isn't it? But I think that, for the first time since…in a long time, you're genuinely happy."

Peter gave Angelica's leg a squeeze under the table, and she gave him a weak smile in return.

"Next up," said a voice on the microphone, "is Susie, singing 'I will always love you.'"

Susie stood and made her way up through the red and blue lights. Whispers and then shouts came from the crowd as the regulars realized who she was. She grinned and waved back at her old fan base, before taking the microphone that was handed to her. The lights dimmed and the spotlight brightened over Susie and her heart sped up. The familiar butterflies pervaded her stomach and the adrenaline coursed through her body. The feelings were welcome. Susie had missed the excitement terribly. The music started. Lyrics appeared on the screen, but she didn't need them. She opened her mouth and started to sing. She wrung beauty from the simple words effortlessly, and applause from the audience just as effortlessly. Susie paused with the song briefly and, in that mere second, seeing the audience cheering her on and feeling the heat of the spotlight on her skin, she realized that singing in this little dilapidated bar was a great blessing.

"And I—I—I—I—I"

After all, few people get the opportunity to do what really makes them happy in life.

"—Will always love youuuuu—"

And Susie understood that. And she was grateful for that night, even if she never got to sing again.

Everyone was on their feet, cheering, but no one was as loud as Phil, who was standing on the table, whistling. Susie laughed and jumped off the stage. "You idiot." She called up to the table.

"You goddess."

"Susie."

She turned to face Peter, who was looking at her as if she were a completely different person. "I never knew you could sing like that."

She shrugged and sat down. "Hey! Felix! Hit me up with a Blue Moon, draft."

Peter sat beside her. "I'm serious. That was…wow."

Felix showed up with her Blue Moon.

"How much?"

"For you, Susie, on the house, you know that." She tipped her glass at him.

"Have you ever thought about singing professionally?" asked Peter.

Susie dropped the orange slice into her beer and took a sip. "Well, yeah. All the time, actually. But it's just a fantasy. Something to daydream about in class."

"It doesn't have to be just a dream. You're very talented…I'm just saying, think about it. I know a lot of people who could help you out. Sometimes I golf with this great guy, used to work with Mariah."

Susie eyed him incredulously. "Mariah Carey?"

"Yeah. He'd love you."

Angelica lit up her third cigarette. "What do you have to lose, Susie? I say go for it."

"You say go for it? What is this, like some kind of weird, alternate universe?"

"Like I said, I'm happy for you."

"You're happy for me?"

"Why is that so hard to grasp?"

"Dunno…"

"Just think about it," said Peter, trying to flag down the server. "I'll give him a call sometime…"

Before Susie could even wrap all this around her head, Phil was grasping her arm. "Come with me." he insisted. She let him lead her to a seemingly overlooked nook on the other side of the room. On the wall, next to a Beastie Boys poster, was 'Phil loves Susie forever' in black ink. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Forever and ever." he whispered in her ear.

She laughed. "You're too cute."

"But I mean it," he said seriously. "We'll come back here, years from now, to see our names on this wall." He kissed her and she smiled against his lips. He leaned his forehead against hers and smiled. "I'm so glad I'm part of your life, Suze."

"You're being cornball," she breathed, trying not to cry in front of all these people.

"Hey, I'm never this sappy, so enjoy it."

"Oh, I'm enjoying it, alright." She brushed a hand through his hair. "Love you."

"Love you more…but I think we should head back. They're probably missing us." He indicated Angelica, who was none to subtly craning her neck to spy on them. When she saw them looking, she whipped back around in her chair. Peter stood and flagged down a server. "Excuse me, could I get another martini for this beautiful lady here?"

Susie laughed, suddenly feeling very giddy.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**author's notes:**

**i think this might be my favorite chapter! the reason there was a slight delay for a few days was that i couldn't find this chapter anywhere! and i really like it as is, so i was upset because i had to sit down and try to recall it from memory. but i couldnt remember the exact wording. so i kept looking, though all my computer files and such, before remembering that i wrote this chapter a while ago, on the plane ride home from costa rica, where i was studying abroad over the summer. so i rummaged through all my old spanish notebooks and, voila!, lo encontré! ! yay!!!**

**thanks, everyone, for all the reviews! they really keep me motivated. new chapter up soon. and im starting writing on the next part of the series very soon. **

**((much love))  
**


	10. Trick or Treat?

Angelica hit the bottom of the pack of Marlboro Lights with her palm. Lighting up a cigarette, she glanced up as a giggling group of girls exited the building. Five minutes passed, and she'd already snubbed out her cigarette on the pavement and was bored of people watching. She never found other people as interesting as herself, anyway. She sighed and glanced toward the door again. Yet Susie was still nowhere to be seen. Angelica picked up her bag. However, just as she turned to leave, Susie walked out of the building, her cell pressed to her ear. She was chatting so incessantly that she walked right past Angelica.

"Hey! Carmichael!"

Susie turned. "Oh, hey!" She put up a finger to tell Angelica to wait while she finished her conversation. Angelica cleared her throat in an impatient way to remind Susie that people did not make Angelica Pickles wait. Susie just rolled her eyes. When she finished, she shoved her phone in her jeans pocket.

"So, hey. What's up?"

"Just thought I'd try to catch you coming out of Civ. I didn't see you this morning."

"I know. I had to get to the library early, to work on my presentation. I'm just so swamped lately. Even more so than usual."

Angelica groaned. "I know what you mean. Midterms, ugh."

"Exactly. And work. Which, " said Susie, giving her friend a weird look, "I've been meaning to talk to you about. Are you even working there anymore? You're only on the schedule for one day this week."

Angelica motioned for Susie to walk with her down the steps.

"Well, I've just been busy with school and—"

"—Impromptu trips to New York and all."

Angelica bit back a smile. "Yeah…and it's not like I need a job."

"So, why work one day a week?"

"I dunno…it's like…something someone once said to me about character or something…Look, whatever, it's nothing. Listen, you wanna hang out tonight?"

"I thought you were going out with Peter?"

"He had to go on last minute business. So? You up for it?"

Susie sighed. "I can't. I've got to finish this project, then I'm meeting Phil to go shopping for our costumes."

Angelica raised her eyebrows. "Costumes? Listen, I don't need to know what you guys do behind closed doors. Keep that information to yourself."

"Ha ha. Our Halloween costumes, you retard." Susie hesitated. "For the party." She finally finished.

Angelica livened visibly. "Oooh, a party?"

"Yeah, the big Lambdi Chi one."

Angelica squealed. "Oh, I haven't been to a Halloween party in forever. I can't wait!"

"Woah, slow down. You just assume you're invited."

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm invited. The Lambdi Chi guys love me. Who do you think I should be? I'm thinking Marilyn Monroe."

"It's a couples theme," replied Susie, pulling her vibrating phone from her pocket. "That's my partner for my project, gotta go."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Angelica sighed and pushed her homework away. She just couldn't concentrate. She tapped her fingernails on her thighs and glanced at the digital alarm clock beside her bed. 4:14 PM. She wondered if Peter was busy. She picked up her cell and dialed his number. A moment later, he answered. "Angelica, hi, this isn't the best time—"

"I wanna go to a Halloween party."

"Uh, ok. Sure…one in particular?"

"Yes, the big one that Lambdi Chi throws every year.."

"Ok, well—"

"And you have to come with me. It's a couples theme."

"Ok, but—"

"Promise?"

"I promise, Darling, but I'm sort of in a meeting with the Danish Prime Minister right now. Could I call you back later?"

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Lil laughed as Tommy sidled up, handing her a drink with a flamboyant flourish and a goofy grin. "Here you go, beautiful."

"Thanks." She took the drink and kissed her boyfriend, who wrapped an arm around her and responded enthusiastically. "You know, I like this wig on you," he said, indicating the black bob. "It's sort of hot."

"Well—"

"Hey guys."

Lil glanced up and flashed a smile at Chuck. "Hey, man. Hi, Emmy."

Tommy clasped a hand to his best friend's back. "So, what are you guys supposed to be?"

Emmy looped an arm through Chuck's and pulled him close. "Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett."

"Oh, neat." said Lil.

Emmy flushed, obviously pleased. She pushed a wisp of hair behind her ear. "And what are you two supposed to be?"

Tommy grinned. "Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace."

Emmy gave him a blank look. Tommy gave her an exasperated one. "Oh, come on! _Pulp Fiction_. Classic Tarantino."

"Sorry, I'm absolutely clueless."

Chuck gave Tommy a consoling pat on the shoulder. "Very cool."

"How can she not know Tarantino?" persisted Tommy.

"He's talking about me as if I can't hear him." said Emmy, raising her eyebrows.

"He's a little sensitive when it comes to Tarantino." explained Lil.

"I'm just saying, cultural ignorance frustrates me."

Emmy laughed incredulously. "Cultural ignorance? Tell me, Tommy, do you even know who Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett are? You don't, do you?"

"Hey, just because I'm not an expert on history---"

"Literature—" corrected Emmy.

"—doesn't mean I don't know culture. Pop culture is a crucial part of society."

"Don't even get him started on Scorsese," advised Lil.

Chuck laughed and kissed his girlfriend's increasingly rosy cheek. "You're getting pretty riled up over Jane Austen. It's very sexy." Emmy's face turned completely red and she pushed him playfully.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous—"

"You're even more easily embarrassed than I am," he continued. "It's cute."

"Zing-ish-ay, Earthlings!" said Dil, as he walked up to the group. "That's 'Salutations' in my planet's language." He knocked Lil and Tommy apart with his cumbersome, lime green alien costume. Kimi walked up in a matching (albeit purple) costume, that was just as big.

"Hey, everyone." she said cheerfully. Chuck and Emmy backed up cautiously.

A grinning boy pointed as he walked by. "Dude," he said to his friend, "That alien is Chinese."

Kimi rolled her eyes. "I'm _Japanese_!"

"Hey, guys." Phil joined the circle, a big grin on his face. He pushed Chuck. "Dude, you look totally gay," he said, indicating Chuck's cravat. "What are you supposed to be?"

Emmy stroked Chuck's arm indignantly. "He's supposed to be Mr. Darcy, and he looks very refined."

Chuck looped an arm around her waist. "Yes, I look very refined," he repeated, grinning. "Besides, what are you supposed to be? Besides socially inept?"

Phil spun on the spot dramatically, simultaneously pulling a fake revolver from the waistband of his suit. "I'm a bad ass secret agent."

"Phillip! There you are." Susie strolled up, tossing her hair dramatically and breaking out in song.

Lil furrowed her brow in concentration. "Umm…Tina Turner?"

"No," said Tommy, "That doesn't make sense. Phil's a secret agent. Their costumes don't go together."

"I'll give you a hint," said Susie. "I-I-I will always, will alwayyys love yooouuuu—"

Emmy shrieked. "Oh, The Bodyguard! What a lovely film! It's one of my favorites."

Chuck and Tommy burst out in laughter. "The bodyguard!" yelped Tommy.

Phil ran a hand through his rumpled hair sheepishly. "Hey, I get to carry a gun…"

"Sorry," said Chuck, "But you can't make Kevin Costner cool. Nice try, though." He turned to Emmy. "Would you honor me with a dance, Miss Bennett?"

She smiled. "Absolutely."

"Gay." reiterated Phil as Chuck and Emmy left for the dance floor. Susie rolled her eyes.

Lil nudged Tommy. "So?"

"So what?"

"So, ask me to dance, you idiot!"

"Oh, right!" He set down his drink and gave her a bow. "Good madam, would you do me the honor of gyrating against me during this excellent rendition of Chris Brown's 'Poppin'?"

Lil rolled her eyes but grinned. "Sure, why not?" He took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Kimi and Dil followed.

Susie leaned into Phil and snuggled against his shoulder. "Thanks for dressing up as Kevin Costner for me, Baby."

He pulled her close. "Hey, no problem. As least you didn't do to me what Emmy did to Chuck."

"Hah! But they're so cute together!" Susie said, indicating the dance floor, where Emmy was dancing all over Chuck's feet.

"Yeah…I guess they are."

Chuck grimaced as the hopelessly clumsy Emmy treaded all over his feet but smiled and gave Susie and Phil a thumbs up. Phil grinned and returned the thumbs up. "She's killing him out there." he said through clenched teeth.

"They don't look nearly as bad as those two," said Susie, pointing to Dil and Kimi, who were trying to maneuver out on the dance floor in their bulky, chicken wire and papier-mâché alien costumes.

"Bonjour, my humble subjects."

Susie grimaced and turned slowly on the spot.

"Well, you showed up after—" She stopped mid sentence and gave her roommate a blank stare. Phil grinned appreciatively. "Well, you really outdid yourself this time, Angelica. It's so…over the top."

Angelica smiled and patted her towering ash-blond wig. "Why, thank you. That's exactly what I was going for." She picked up her skirt, which was embellished with countless pink ribbons and pearls, and stretched out a long gloved arm theatrically. Every inch of her, from the toes of her shoes to the top of her precariously high wig was covered in ornamentation—beads, flowers, and ribbons. Large, sparkling diamond pendant earrings shone brightly among the silk roses adorning her wig.

"I must admit," said Susie, "It's the best Marie Antoinette I've ever seen."

"How the hell did you pay for this?" Phil asked, already knowing the answer.

"Peter."

"And where is your King Louis tonight?" Susie asked.

"Oh, last minute business. You know." She shrugged. "I understand. If it was me called on business, I would have done the same thing. Anyway, where is everyone?"

"Oh, around…"

"On the dance floor?" asked Angelica, standing on her tiptoes to scan the crowd.

"I dunno…" said Susie, uncomfortably aware that Angelica would see Chuck and Emmy any moment now and that two months of covertness and little white lies was about to go up in smoke.

Angelica let out a groan as she spotted Dil and Kimi. "Oh, God. The little weirdo hasn't changed since I last saw him, huh? Still an embarrassment to the family." However, she seemed amused. She craned her neck over the crowd, carelessly assaulting a nearby couple with her unwieldy wig.

"Oh, wow. Is that Chuck? He looks…different."

Angelica peered at her ex, who indeed looked quite different from how she'd remembered him. He still had that unmistakable head of untamed red hair and those same goofy glasses, but there was definitely something different about him. He seemed…more relaxed. More confident. And it radiated off of him. And she suddenly felt that old spark, that inexplicable attraction rising in her. It only took a second for Angelica to realize that she'd missed him terribly. And it only took another second for her to realize that there was a pretty girl on his arm, smiling up at him in obvious adoration. And, just one more second later, Angelica realized that they were walking in her direction.


	11. You Can't Handle the Truth!

Angelica did the only thing she could think to do. She ran. She turned, knocking into irritated partygoers as she made her way through the dense crowd. She found shelter behind a festively decorated partition. Swatting at a low hanging chain of dangling plastic skeletons, she pressed her slender frame against the cardboard and let out a shaky breath. A thousand thoughts were crowding her brain and she was feeling very confused, something that she did not like at all. Her parents had always valued rationality, and so had she. "It's ok, Angelica," she whispered aloud. "Just be calm, and, above all else, be rational." She wrung her hands together. Ok, so, she'd just seen Chuck for the first time since they'd broken up, for the first time in almost a year. And that'd be fine, except all those icky romantic feelings had come to the surface once more. And, ok, maybe that'd be fine, too, if about a million things were different. If she weren't with Peter, and if things hadn't ended the way they did. If he would have just let her live her life, if he wasn't so damn stubborn, he could have had her. Not that that matters, because she didn't want him anyway…but she was, however, curious about his dark haired dance partner.

She peered around the partition, careful to stay out of sight as much as she could in her large, decadent ensemble. Chuck and the girl were chatting with Susie, who looked uncomfortable. Angelica eyed her roommate bitterly, trying to will her into bursting into flame. How could Susie keep this from her! Who the hell was this girl?

Angelica closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She was probably overreacting. She probably wasn't his girlfriend or anything like that. It was probably just a date. Maybe not even that. Maybe just a dance. Yeah, some girl who felt bad for Chuck, because he'd shown up alone. Yeah, that was it. She was probably just about to excuse herself to go back to her own date. And, none of this mattered, because Angelica definitely did not care. Exactly. Who cared about Chuck Finster?

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Tommy."

"Hmm?"

"I've been thinking about this for a long time."

Tommy looked up from the tv and have Lil a perplexed look.

"And," she continued, "I think it's about time I say something."

"About what?" he asked, starting to get a little worried.

"About how obviously unhappy you've been lately."

Tommy didn't even try to deny it. He gave her a weak smile. "I don't know why I ever thought I could hide anything from you. You always read me like a book."

"I don't know why you felt you had to hide it from me in the first place."

"I don't know…it's like…I feel guilty, I guess. I have no reason to be unhappy. I have a pretty great life. I didn't want to make you feel like it was you or something. Because you're perfect, you know."

"You are," she said, stroking his hair.

"I just feel sort of…discontent," he said. "Like…something's missing."

"Well…think about it. What parts of your life make you feel like that? When do you feel like that?"

"Geez, I should be paying you for this kind of therapy."

"You can repay me in sexual favors."

He grinned. "It's definitely not you that's wrong with my life." he continued. "Sometimes you're the only thing that keeps me going, you know…"

She smiled. His rare sweet moments were really cute.

"I just hate my classes," he said. "That's mostly it. I feel like they're a waste of my time. I don't learn anything worthwhile. At least, nothing relevant to my life, ya know?"

"Well, that's because you're only taking gen eds, really…it's getting about time for you to declare a major…"

"Yeah…I know. And I'm clueless."

"People always have a lot of advice to offer about this subject," she said. "They say you should think about money, about benefits, about practicality. I say you should think about what makes you happy. What do you love to do?....Of course, that's just my humble opinion."

"You know…that's great advice. I knew I kept you around for something."

She rolled her eyes and pushed him playfully. "I still haven't figured out why I keep you around…"

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Susie tapped on Angelica's partially opened door. "Hey, girl. Mind if I come in?" Angelica grunted.

"So…" said Susie.

"So."

A few seconds passed.

"_Awkward_…" chimed in Susie.

Angelica continued to ignore her, seemingly lost in her book.

"Oh, come on. Are you still mad at me?"

"I just can't believe you didn't tell me about this British tramp."

"Hey, Emmy is nothing close to a _tramp_. She's really cool. And, besides, why do you even care?"

"I don't."

"Um, I think you _do_."

"It's just…I like to _know_…about these things."

"Why? So you can ruin Chuck's only chance at happiness?"

Angelica made a scornful noise.

"Emmy is really great," Susie continued. "And, you know what; she doesn't treat Chuck like crap. She's actually _nice_ to him. I know that might be something you never thought of before, actually being nice to people. Especially your boyfriends."

"I'm _nice_ to my boyfriends. I'm nice to Peter."

"That's another thing. You're dating a millionaire who treats you like a princess! Why do you want to interfere in Chuck's life?"

"I _don't_—I have no intention of interfering, dammit. I just would have liked to know about this."

"Angelica…" she said, softening. "Do you…still have feelings for Chuck?"

"I—I," sputtered Angelica.

"Oh my goodness…I can't believe I didn't notice…"

"I _don't_," said Angelica, regaining her composure. "No way. You said it yourself, I'm dating a millionaire. Who the hell cares about Chuck Finster?"

"Ok…Good. It's probably better off this way anyway. You with Peter, and Chuck with Emmy. It just makes a lot more sense, I guess…It's a lot better for everyone, especially Chuck."

Angelica threw her book on the floor. "You make it seem like I was the worst thing that ever happened to him!"

Susie reacted just as violently. "Well, geez! I wonder why I think that? I wonder why _everyone_ thinks that?"

Angelica's breathing slowed a bit and she looked hurt, even. "Does everyone really think that?"

Susie regretted saying it. "Well…"

"Does Chuck think that?"

"Dunno." said Susie, quite honestly.

Angelica covered her face in her hands and screamed.

"Everything ok?"

The girls looked at the open bedroom door, where Peter stood.

He looked a little wary at their angry expressions. "Sorry…I knocked…and then I just let myself in."

"Everything's great!" spat Angelica. "Except that all my so called friends think I'm a terrible person!"

Susie and Angelica both crossed their arms and stared one another down vehemently.

"Um…" broke in Peter. "So…" he said, desperate to change the subject. "Susie…have you thought about Steven Jones?"

Susie looked at him. "Who?"

"The guy at Virgin Records I want you to talk to. About an audition. He's gonna be in town sometime next month. Angelica didn't tell you?..."

Susie narrowed her eyes at her roommate. "No, she neglected to mention that. But I'm _sure_ it was accidental."

"Ok," admitted Angelica. "Maybe I was a little mad at you, so I didn't tell you about the audition. But I was _going_ to."

"Yeah, right." said Susie, leaving the room.

Angelica jumped up off the bed and yelled down the hallway. "It's nice to know what you really think of me!"

"It's reassuring to know that it's justified!" Susie yelled back.

"Ugh!" Angelica threw herself on the bed and let out another shriek.


	12. Turkey Day

Honestly, Angelica did not give a damn about business customs in Japan. Her mother would disapprove. Charlotte always said that the Japanese were very valuable business partners. Angelica, however, did not want to do this stupid presentation for this stupid class. She was just ready for the semester to be over. She always threw herself into her work when she was feeling dejected, until the papers and books and everything made her forget about the sadness. This time, though, it wasn't working. She sighed and ran a finger along the spines of the books lining the shelf. When she found the call number she was looking for, she grabbed the book and added it to the top her precariously tall pile. Yes, time to go. At least she'd gotten the books, that was a start. She'd go home and have some hot chocolate and take a nap and then maybe work on her presentation some…or maybe she'd work on it tomorrow. Or after Thanksgiving break…

As she made her way down the stairs to the main level of the library, Angelica wondered why she was even feeling so sad. She shouldn't care what they thought of her…they weren't even really her friends anyway. Which made her wonder who her friends were…

At least she and Susie had made up, more or less. And the audition was still on. And Angelica really was happy for Susie, even though she was hurt that everyone apparently thought she had ruined Chuck's life.

Still lost in thought, she tried to set her pile of books down on the counter gently (though with little success). She then reached into her purse for her student ID and handed it to the clerk. However, when she realized who it was, Angelica's fake smile faded.

"How are you today?" asked Chuck's Halloween date. She gave Angelica a cheery smile, despite obviously being very sick. She took the ID and scanned it. Angelica held out her hand silently when the girl handed it back to her, still lacking for something to say. The dark haired girl stamped all of the books, sniffing and coughing the whole time. After a slight hesitation, Angelica took them without a word and walked out. When she got out the front door, a blast of icy wind hit her. Angelica scowled and wrapped her fur coat tighter around her. The unusual weather worsened her dour mood. Why didn't she say anything to the girl? All the things she'd wanted to say since Halloween. How could Chuck like her? What the hell did he see in her? And why do I care? she wondered sourly. She clutched her books to her chest and, head down, made her way down the steps.

"Angelica?"

She looked up and, of course, there stood Chuck.

"Hey." she said, taken aback.

"Hey…"

"Hi…"

He laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, we've established that…The greeting part is over now."

"Yeah…I guess so."

"Studying?" he asked, indicating the mountain of books.

"Researching for a presentation." she replied, as if this were an everyday meeting, as if this wasn't the first time they'd spoken in nearly a year. "What about you?" She eyed his arms, in which he carried of a pack of tissues, some cough drops, and a small bouquet of wildflowers.

He tried to make the flowers less noticeable. "Nothing…just studying…"

Angelica knew he was going to see his girlfriend, and that he had brought her stuff to make her feel better since she was sick. And she was jealous. Which was absolutely ridiculous. She was wearing a $4,000 fur coat that Peter bought her. Yet she was jealous of cough drops and cheap flowers.

"Are you going home for Thanksgiving?" he asked.

"Yes," she said quickly, "And Peter's coming with me. My parents are dying to meet him."

"Ah." he said as the realization hit him that Peter must be her boyfriend. Of course she'd have a boyfriend. Why wouldn't she?

"Yeah, I wanted to stay at the Hilton near home, but Peter's being all cute and old fashioned, and wants to stay with Mom and Daddy. But we'll drive down in his limo, at least."

"Well…that'll be nice."

"Yeah…well…I guess I'm gonna go…I'll see you around, Finster."

And, with that, she was gone.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Angelica swept the brush through her long ponytail once more and touched up her lip gloss, as if she were going out, instead of merely down to breakfast with her family. However, she always wanted to look her best around Peter. Women always told her about getting to that point in the relationship when they didn't care what they looked like in front of their boyfriends. They talked of walking around in baggy pajamas with no make-up on. They raved about intimacy, and the complete comfort of it all. Angelica herself had never gotten to that point. And she didn't care to. She preferred to look good. She'd absolutely die if Peter saw her in baggy pajamas.

She stood and adjusted her cream colored Marc Jacobs sweater. One more look in the mirror, and she finally made her way downstairs. She smiled when she found Peter breakfasting with her parents. They'd hit it off since their arrival last night, and things still seemed to be going well. "Good morning." she said cheerfully. She kissed her dad's cheek and sat down next to Peter. "Morning, Darling." he said, passing her a plate. "Your mother's made croissants. Have one." Angelica bit back a grin. Her mother's "homemade" croissants came from a bistro down the street. "Thank you," she said, taking one and giving him a peck on the cheek. She poured some orange juice into her glass and took a sip. "So, what time are we doing the whole Thanksgiving thing?"

"Actually," said Charlotte, the excitement evident in her face, "Peter has the most wonderful idea."

Angelica grinned. "Oh, he's just full of those."

"I was thinking," said Peter, "That we'd go out for Thanksgiving dinner—there's this great French owned vineyard not too far from here that has a charming little café and even a chateau with rooms for rent, if we decide to stay the night."

Angelica's parents were looking at her expectantly as if they were the children and she were the parent, with the power to grant or deny them this treat. She couldn't help but laugh. "Oh…Yeah...I guess that'll be alright."

"Great," he replied, "And it'll save your mother from having to do all that cooking—"

Angelica looked up from buttering her croissant and rolled her eyes. "You don't cook, Mom. We go to Uncle Stu's for Thanksgiving every year and you know it."

Charlotte scoffed. "Oh, that is _ridiculous_.…" She stood and made her way to the phone. "Though, I guess I better call Didi…"

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"I come bearing gifts," said Chuck. "Let me in!"

Dil surveyed him through the peephole of the front door. "I dunno…my horoscope this morning warned of a trickster attempting to fool me with a clever rouse."

"My ringing the doorbell and announcing my arrival is hardly clever."

"Touché. But how do I know you're not an alien?"

"I'm not an alien."

"That's exactly what an alien would say."

"Dil, let me in! These are heavy!"

"Ok, ok!"

He opened the door, albeit cautiously. Chuck pushed past him and set the box down on the floor just as Didi was walking into the living room.

"Hey, Miss Didi, Mom and Dad sent me over with these cans, for your school's food drive."

"Well, thank you, Charles. Why don't you bring them into the kitchen for me?"

Chuck sighed and picked up the heavy box again. When he finally set it down in a corner in the kitchen, Tommy walked in. "Oh, now you come," said Chuck. "Terribly convenient. I just finished all the work."

Tommy looked at Dil. "What is he crying about?"

'He's an alien.' mouthed Dil.

"Would you boys like some apple cider?" Didi asked.

"I'd rather have a beer," Tommy mumbled.

"What?"

"Cider sounds great, Mom. Thanks."

A few minutes later, the boys were sitting at the table, drinking hot cider, and Didi was back to work, bustling around in the kitchen. She was stuffing the turkey, literally up to her elbows in work, when the phone rang. The boys continued to talk in conspiratorially low tones, not one making an effort to answer the phone. Didi showed her first sign of impatience. "Don't everyone rush to get it at once!"

Tommy looked up, "Um…should I get it?"

Didi peeled off her gloves and, giving her eldest son a glare, answered the perseverant caller.

"Hello?…Oh, hi, Charlotte….mmhhmm…"

Chuck looked up, ever so slightly, then tried to appear disinterested. He looked at Dil and nodded, trying to feign interest in the abominable snowman that apparently lived down the street.

"Well," said Didi a moment later, who seemingly had forgotten all about her anger with her sons. "Drew and Charlotte aren't coming here for Thanksgiving!"

"Hmm." said Tommy, also trying to feign interest. "What a shame."

"Apparently, Angelica's boyfriend is taking them all to some fancy French vineyard—a terrible way to spend Thanksgiving, if you ask me." She went back to the turkey. "Thanksgiving is a time for family, and a big meal, not…_wine_."

Tommy laughed. "You're right, Mom…You need some help with anything?"

Didi smiled. "Yes, you can peel all these sweet potatoes, she said, indicating a large bowl.

"Great…"

Didi sighed. "I just can't believe Angelica's dating a millionaire." She said. "I suppose it's a good thing, but…my, how things change…"

Chuck froze, his mug halfway to his mouth. He gave Tommy a questioning look, and he received a sheepish one in return. He wavered, but then continued to drink his cider as though nothing was wrong. However, it was cold, and left a sick feeling in his stomach.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Can I come in?"

Chuck lifted his head from his pillow, where he'd been contemplating smothering himself.

"No."

Kimi came in anyway, and closed the door behind her. "So."

He sighed. "So what?"

"Are you gonna tell me why you've been a butt face all day?"

"I haven't…"

"You know, Mom and Dad really missed us, and they put a lot of effort into Thanksgiving. And you go and act like a moody jerk all day, not even thankful one little bit."

He let his head fall back down. "Sorry." he said around the pillow.

"So, are you gonna tell me what's up?"

"No."

"Maybe I can help. Is it girl problems?"

He didn't say anything.

"Oh, it is, isn't it? So, what is it? Everything ok with Emmy?"

"Everything's fantastic with Emmy." he answered truthfully.

He hesitated. She waited patiently.

"Did you know that Angelica's dating a millionaire?" he asked finally.

"Oh…well, yeah."

"Dammit! Why didn't anyone tell me this?"

"Well…you seemed happy with Emmy…I guess we didn't think it was essential knowledge for you…"

"It's good to know my friends are deciding what I need to know and what I don't need to know."

"Hey, why should you care about her anyway? You just said things were fantastic with Emmy!"

He groaned and covered his face with his hands. "I don't know…I shouldn't care…after everything she's put me through." He sighed. "It's not like I want her back…it's just…I guess old feelings coming back up, nostalgia, you know?...things that were…things that could have been…"

Kimi scooted closer to her brother and chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Yeah…so. Um, guess what?"

"Hmm?"

"Dil pre-asked me to marry him."

He raised his head, all apathy removed. "WHAT?"

"Lower your voice!" she whispered, gesticulating frantically. "You'll wake the rents!"

"He asked you marry him?!"

"No," she said, "he _pre-asked_ me to marry him."

"Excuse me?"

"He just said that, maybe, possibly, _someday_ he _might_ ask me to marry him…I guess he wanted to have an idea of what I would say…It's not a bad idea, really. People should discuss things like that ahead of time. Get an idea of what's going on in the relationship."

He grunted.

"So," she continued, "I was just thinking…maybe if you had pre-asked Angelica before you went out and got the ring and all, things would have gone differently…I mean, maybe not, but maybe."

He gave her a disbelieving look. "I didn't tell anyone I was going to …How do you know about that?"

She nodded sheepishly. "Tommy told Dil, who told Phil, who told Lil, who told me…"

"So everyone knows?!"

"Well, Susie doesn't know…and I'm pretty sure Angelica doesn't know…"

"Pretty sure?!"

"Ohmygosh, are you hyperventilating over there? Calm down, Big Brother."

"I'm fine." he lied.

"I'm sorry if I upset you…forget it…" She got up and finally left him in peace.

"Easier said than done…" he mumbled to himself, before throwing himself back down on the bed.


	13. Lady in the Moon

Chuck Finster always felt guilty. He felt guilty that he couldn't spend more time with his family. He felt guilty that he didn't always make perfect grades. He felt guilty that he was more fortunate than many, blessed with a home and loved ones to share it with. Most of the time, he felt guilty for no reason. However, tonight he felt really guilty, because, as his devoted girlfriend lay in his arms, he thought of another girl.

Once again, as she had so many times throughout the years, Angelica Pickles consumed his thoughts. He stroked Emmy's hair as she chatted softly, recounting the quiet Thanksgiving she'd spent with her sister. He nodded and offered a "Hmm" at the appropriate moments but his mind kept wandering. He felt anxious (nothing new) and angry—not even so much at her as at himself. It wasn't her fault she was back in his life. Obviously, she didn't want that. She certainly seemed to have moved on. No, it was his fault, for still having feelings for her, despite all she'd done to him. Because of her, he wasn't able to enjoy what he had with Emmy, which should be great, was great. After all, Emmy was pretty, and smart and sweet and kind and generous—she was perfect. They were perfect together. They just…made so much sense. He frowned. That wasn't terribly romantic…but it was true. The two of them just made a hell of a lot more sense than he and Angelica did.

"Chuck."

"Sorry, Sweetie…I spaced out for a sec."

Emmy grinned sleepily. "It's ok." she said. She hesitated, then let out a slow breath.

"Chuck…"

He kissed her head. "Yes?"

"I love you."

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"_Thank you_? You said Thank you?!"

"I know…"

"What the hell?"

"I know!"

"You're a moron."

"I know…"

"So, what did she say?"

"She actually wasn't that mad…I think she finds my complete incompetence endearing." Chuck groaned, buried his face in his hands, and mumbled something.

"Come again?" said Tommy.

"She said she understands if I'm not ready to say it back."

"Geez, talk about an understanding girlfriend…"

"I know, I'm a lucky bastard."

Chuck threw his head back on the couch and sighed. "I just don't know what's wrong with me. Emmy's perfect, absolutely perfect."

Tommy shrugged. "Can't help who you love and who you don't love, Man."

"That's for sure…"

Tommy opened a can of soda as he sat down on the chair across from his best friend. He took a swig and eyed Chuck thoughtfully.

Chuck raised two red eyebrows. "What?"

"I was just wondering…is this about Angelica? Do you still have feelings for her?"

"Maybe…"

"Aww, dammit. I knew it. 'Maybe' means yes."

"No, it means maybe….I don't even know."

Tommy sighed. "Here we go again…"

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Um," said Lil. "What are you doing?"

"I'm cleaning up after myself, as we agreed." Phil replied.

"Putting your dirty dish in the sink for me to wash later is not cleaning up after yourself." Lil pointed to the plate. "And what is that gross, dried up gunk all over it?"

"Nacho-ness."

"That was a rhetorical question. Clean it off!"

"I'll do it later."

"_Phillip_."

"_Lillian_."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Phil is driving me crazy!" yelped Lil as she threw open the front door.

"Hey to you, too." said Tommy, lowering his textbook.

She tossed her bag down on the floor and plopped down on the couch beside him. "Sorry," she said shortly. "I'm just on my last nerve."

He put his book down and touched her shoulder consolingly. "I knew this was gonna happen." he said.

She laughed. "So, you knew all along? And you let this train wreck happen anyway?"

"Well, I thought you'd last a little longer than a semester….but, yeah, this always happens. I went through the same thing with Chuck, remember? People who live together always get tired of each other, eventually…but it doesn't last forever. You're just going through a rough patch."

"I dunno…I think this might be more than a patch. I dunno why we ever thought we could live together, anyway."

Tommy nestled against his girlfriend. "Because, despite all your fighting, you really love each other. And it's just so sweet!"

"Ok, now you're just mocking me."

"Maybe a little."

She put an arm around him. "You're really great, ya know. And, here I am, just complaining about my own problems, not even asking about yours…How are things going?"

"They're going."

She frowned. "Have you given any thought to what we talked about?"

"Actually, yes."

"And?"

"And…" he grinned, as though he'd been waiting a while for this, as though he were finally revealing something incredibly important. "I've decided that I haven't been 100% happy since middle school."

She raised her eyebrows. "Ok…so…you want to go back to middle school?"

"Not exactly. I want to make films again. Remember how much I used to love it? When we were still kids, really, before we all got involved in all that stupid high school drama. We used to make movies together."

"We still make movies together…"

He actually blushed before continuing. "So, I decided to do something about it. Not just talk about it, about maybe getting back into it. So…I applied to the art school."

"Wow. Really?"

"Yeah…I don't like to hide stuff from you, but I just didn't want to tell anyone until I was sure I got in."

"So…you got in?"

"Yes."

She shrieked. "You got in?! That's great!"

"So, you think this is a good idea?"

"I think whatever makes you feel happiest has got to be the right choice."

He grinned. "Well, this makes me happiest….I already finished up all my gen eds here, so, in just a few short weeks, I'll be starting my first semester as a film student."

She hugged him. "Oh, I'm so excited for you!"

He rubbed her back. "There's one more thing."

She pulled back to look him in the face. "Hmm?"

"I've been thinking about something else, too. And you complaining about living with Phil just seems like a sign that I've got the right idea…."

"What?"

"I think that, while I'm making changes, I might as well go ahead and start anew in other aspects of my life, too."

"Such as?"

"I've talked to Chuck about it, but I dunno how Phil would feel about it…"

"Tommy! What is it?"

"Do you wanna move in together?"

She smiled. "Yes. Most definitely."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Angelica?"

Angelica snapped out of her trance. "What?"

"I said I'm flying my parents in for Christmas. I'd love for you to meet them."

"Oh…Yeah. Of course…"

Peter frowned. "Darling, you seem…preoccupied."

"I'm fine." she said flatly. She looked into the vanity mirror and touched up her already perfect lipstick just to have something to do.

"We don't have to go to this party if you don't want. It's just a bunch of boring people I work with."

"Of course I want to go," Angelica insisted, setting down the lipstick. "I want to mingle with all the important and beautiful people."

"None of them are as beautiful as you." he said, indicating her pink Oscar de la Renta ball gown, professionally done make-up, and perfectly coifed hair.

She forced a smile and stood, turning toward the window, so that he wouldn't see her smile fade. The window was long, taking up a whole wall of the penthouse suite. Outside, the red and white lights of the city twinkled in the deep, dark night. Superimposed against the cityscape was her reflection. She saw perfection looking back at her. Swirls of honey colored hair were topped precariously high on her head, her big, blue eyes were framed in smoky eyeliner and the low cut dress clung to every curve. But neither Angelica smiled. He sidled up behind her. "I've noticed that you've been feeling down lately."

She neither confirmed not denied this.

"And I thought this might help you feel a little better." he whispered into her ear, as he reached both hands around her, to place a very large, very beautiful diamond necklace around her neck. Angelica was stunned. Never had she seen anything like it. She raised a hand to touch the glittering stones, disbelieving.

"I actually bought this sometime ago," he said. "I felt bad about missing Halloween, so I went looking for something to make it up to you."

She looked at the window, at the reflection of the ostentatious thing on her slender neck. Four ropes of sparkling diamonds hung there. A pale pink stone, followed by two yellow ones, culminating in a large silvery pendant, lay against her chest. Her heartbeat thudded against them.

"And when they showed me this one, I knew it was meant for you. Because of your Halloween costume. They call it the Marie Antoinette Necklace. It has over 181 carats of diamonds…it's not quite as beautiful as you, but it's a start."

He finished clasping the necklace and then kissed the back of her head. "What do you think?"

The tears welled up in her eyes. She was grateful that he had his face buried in her hair and could not see her crying reflection now, as he embraced her tightly, waiting to hear how much she loved his gift. Dark eye make-up ran down her cheeks as the silent tears fell. She wished that they were tears of joy, of gratitude. But they were not. They were genuine tears of sadness, of desolation, which was something that Angelica did not experience very often. She looked up at the silvery moon and pressed her fingertips against the cool glass of the window. She felt so far away from everyone, especially from Chuck.

"Hmm?" Peter said expectantly, his face still buried against her.

"I love it." she lied.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Chuck opened his eyes to the sight of the full moon, whose silvery light filtered in through the sliver of window between the dark curtains. He blinked, and grabbed his glasses from the bedside table. As he put them on, things began to focus around him—his dresser, the posters on the walls, all of his comfortably familiar surroundings. However, the moon still held his attention. Something about it—her luminous sheen, her curve, the way she consumed the night sky. He usually didn't believe in such nonsense, but The Moon was trying to tell him something, no doubt about it. Maybe Angelica was looking up at that same moon, at that very moment…

He kicked the twisted sheets off of his body in frustration. This was no good. He couldn't do this anymore. He had to decide who he wanted soon, for once and for all, Emmy or Angelica.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**I was reading through my reviews (not just for this one, but for the whole Angel series) and you guys make me so happy! even if there are only a few dedicated fans, that makes it all worthwhile. i hope you enjoy this chap; only a few more! and ive just finished the first two chaps of the next part. it will be much shorter and less complex, so should be up (very) soon. this time, i PROMISE it wont be months, heh. **

**~Summer**

**p.s. the marie antoinette necklace is real and boy is it flashy. i wonder how much it costs...**

**go to debeers. com and search for it. it should be the first result, the one with all the yellow diamonds.  
**


	14. Champagne and Sacrifice

Tommy looked up from the cardboard box as Chuck stumbled in the front door, laden down with bags.

"Hey."

"Hey." said Chuck.

"Need some help?" Tommy offered.

"Yeah. Thanks." He handed some of the plastic bags to Tommy. "Mom insisted on buying me all this food."

Tommy started unloading the groceries, while Chuck carried the overpacked duffel bag to his room. When he returned, Tommy went back to his packing. "How was your Christmas?" he asked.

"Fine." Chuck replied, stashing some canned vegetables under the cabinet.

"Yeah, mine too." said Tommy. He taped the box shut with several layers of packing tape. "Sorry I didn't hang out more. Wanted to get back and get all this packing done with."

"Yeah…so you're sure about this, huh? Moving in with Lil?"

"Absolutely."

"I can't believe you guys found a place so fast."

"Well, her friend's subleasing us her apartment while she's studying abroad. Then, we'll probably have to find someplace else."

Chuck sat down on the couch. "Well, I'm happy for you, Man."

Tommy labeled the box in blue Sharpie—'kitchen stuff.' He set down the marker and looked up at his best friend, and soon to be former roommate. "You sure you're cool with this?"

"Absolutely."

Tommy looked at him incredulously. "You just seem kind of down lately."

"I swear I'm fine." insisted Chuck. "The time alone could do me good."

"So," persisted Tommy. "Things are cool? Everything's good for you?"

Chuck grinned. "You're worse than Lil."

Tommy threw a coaster at him.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Susie's fingers shook as she put in her white gold hoop earrings. They had been a gift from her parents for high school graduation and she only wore them on extremely important occasions. Like tonight. She looked her reflection up and down critically, adjusting the simple black dress that she wore.

"You look just fine, Carmichael." Angelica said, scrutinizing her own reflection.

"I can't settle for just fine, I have to look amazing…though…yes…understated is good. Don't want to take away from my singing."

"Exactly," agreed Angelica, adjusting her own dress, which was the exact opposite of understated. Silver sequins sparkled in the mirror. Susie grinned. "You sure are sparkly, girl."

Angelica shrugged. "It's New Year's Eve."

Susie gave her reflection another worried look.

Angelica put a hand on Susie's shoulder, in a rare moment of sweetness. "You're gonna blow them away, Carmichael."

Susie smiled. "Thanks, Angelica." She picked up her purse and checked to make sure she had her wallet, keys and other essentials. "So," she said, grabbing her jacket, "If all goes well, Peter's friend is gonna love me and I'll be signed to a major record label before the end of the night. So, after this, we're gonna head to Tommy's for his party and—"

"Oh—I don't think I'm going to—"

"Angelica—come on, everyone's gonna wanna see you! We all miss you…we do…"

"Is Chuck gonna be there? With his girlfriend?"

Susie's smiled faded and she sank to the bed.

"Angelica…"

"What?"

"You do still love him…don't you?"

This time, Angelica didn't deny it. She sat down beside her roommate.

Susie sighed. "Well…you gotta tell him."

Angelica shook her head furiously. "No…no, it's too late."

Susie clasped Angelica's hand in hers. "No, it's not…but, if you wait any longer, it will be."

Angelica sighed and pulled her hand away. "I can't think about this now. We have to go, right now. You're gonna be late for your big show."

Susie nodded. "We're not going."

Angelica snapped her head back to look Susie in the eye. "Don't be ridiculous! Of course we are! We have to! You have to! You've been waiting your whole life for a chance like this."

"This is more important," said Susie. "We gotta get you to Chuck. You have to tell him how you feel. There might still be a chance for you two."

"Well, I'll go, then. I'll go on my own. I'll talk to him. You go to Peter, tell him I'll be there a little later."

"No, you won't do it if I don't go with you. You'll chicken out." Susie insisted adamantly. She stood, pulling Angelica with her. "Come on, we're going to Tommy's party."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Emmy opened the front door. She smiled as she saw Chuck standing there, dressed in a suit that didn't quite fit his lanky form. His hair was as untidy as ever as he gave her a weak smile. "You're here early," she said. She let him in. He sat down on the worn couch and she locked the door behind him. She glanced at the clock. "Actually, you're quite early. So you'll have to forgive me for not being ready." She indicated her dressing robe and half-curled hair. "I actually came early, because I wanted to talk to you about something," he said, letting out a breath nervously.

She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him quizzically. He couldn't help but smile. Her eyes were questioning, yet not accusing. No, never accusing, no matter what. She was always sweet, and loving, and wonderful. She really was perfect for him. And, as the realization of who he loved sank in, really sank in, Chuck clasped Emmy's hands in his.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Angelica felt extremely self-conscious as she walked in the front door with Susie. It felt like Chuck's graduation party all over again. She felt that everyone would see her pour her heart out all over again, except this time it would be worse, this time she'd probably be rejected, in front of everyone. However, no one looked at her as she made her way across the living room. It was, after all, a different crowd. Not a single person from high school was there. She peered around discreetly as she poured a ladleful of punch into a red plastic cup. She didn't see Chuck, or Tommy, or anyone she recognized anywhere. Susie grabbed her arm. She took a whiff of Angelica's punch. "Whew! That stuff is spiked, you know. And strong."

"Good." said Angelica, taking a large swallow.

Susie rolled her eyes. "That's not a good idea. You'll need your wits about you."

"I just need to relax a little," Angelica insisted, pouring more punch into her cup. "I'm nervous."

Susie groaned. This was not going to end well.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Angelica shrieked as a horn blew loudly right next to her. She grabbed her ear with her hand and scowled at Dil. He gave her a goofy grin.

"What is your problem, Freakazoid?"

Dil rolled his eyes. "Cheer up, Ang, it's New Years Eve!"

Angelica eyed her cousin up and down, who was wearing at least five different New Years hats and tiaras layered upon his bright red curls, and several horns and noisemakers on various plastic chains around his neck. He put a glittery silver tiara on her head and walked off before she could object. She reached up to remove the tacky thing, but her cell rang. She pulled it from her purse and groaned.

"Yes?"

"Angelica? Where are you? Where's Susie?"

Angelica pressed a hand to her temple, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed. "I—we're not coming."

For the first time that she could remember, Peter sounded agitated. "What the hell do you mean, you're not coming?" His voice softened. "I mean…Angelica…what's going on? Tell me…tell me what you've been hiding from me all this time…"

Angelica swayed a little in her silver Manolo Blahnik wedges. She was a little drunk and she didn't know if it was the best time to be having this conversation. But, she really had no choice. It was now or never.

"I can't be with you anymore." she said simply.

Peter was silent for a few seconds. "I figured as much." he said finally.

"I'm in love with someone else." she said. It was the first time she'd said it aloud. And it felt strangely good, to admit it, even though it couldn't possibly end well.

"I see."

"With my ex." she clarified. "But he has a girlfriend, who he adores, and it's just…one big mess, to say the least…."

She grasped the back of the couch for support. "I'm sorry," she finished lamely.

"It's alright." he said quietly. "I understand."

"You do?"

"Angelica…life's not worth living if you don't take chances. Tell him how you feel."

And with that, he hung up.

Angelica stared at her phone incredulously before finally putting it away. Then, she made her way over to the table, where a couple of rowdy guys were doing tequila shots. "Let me get one of those." she said.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"I just can't believe it." reiterated Phil.

Susie took a sip of her champagne. "What can't you believe?"

"The whole thing. That she's still in love with him, and that she's gonna tell him. And, most of all, that you missed your audition to bring her here."

Susie shrugged. "It's no big deal…My big break will come someday. That kind of thing comes and goes. This is more important." Phil wrapped an arm around his girlfriend, beaming brightly.

"So, she's really packing them away there, huh?" said Tommy, taking in his cousin's debauchery with obvious amusement.

Angelica took one more shot, squinting as she sucked the lime wedge.

"She's gonna be so sick tomorrow." observed Lil.

"Or tonight." chimed in Kimi.

"I tried to tell her." said Susie.

"Look," said Dil, "Chuck's here."

They all looked toward the front door, where Chuck stood, a big grin on his face. However, as he saw Angelica, his grin faded.

She was here. And she was standing right in front of him, looking extraordinary, more beautiful than he'd remembered. He couldn't believe that he had just seen her at Thanksgiving. Maybe he didn't really take her in that day on the library steps. How could he have not noticed how breathtaking she was? And, tonight, she looked absolutely ravishing. Her dress was short and sparkly, a concoction of silver sequins that stopped just above her knees. Her long blond tresses were loose, cascading nearly down to her waist. Her eyes were done up in glittery dark make-up, her pouty lips were as pink as ever, her little upturned nose as adorable as ever. Like the rest of her hair, her bangs were very long now, just at her eyebrows. And, to top it all off, she wore a cheap, tacky New Years tiara on her head. He just smiled at her. She smiled back and made her way, a bit unsteadily on her precariously high shoes, toward him.

"Chuckie." she said quietly, one hand on his face.

He pressed his hand against hers. "Angelica." he whispered.

"I broke up with Peter." she said.

"I'm…sorry." he lied.

"I know you have a girlfriend, I know this." she said.

"Angelica—"

"It's ok." she cut in. "I fully expect you to reject me, and I won't blame you…" She suddenly pressed a hand to her forehead and the aluminum tiara fell to the floor. She bit her lip.

"Are you ok?" he asked, holding on to her as she wobbled.

"Because," she continued, "I've put you through…so much. And I know this. And I'm sorry." A tear fell down her cheek. "I'm really sorry, I swear, Chuckie. And I know that it's probably too late, but—"

"But what?" Chuck asked. He cupped her chin in his hands and smiled at her. And Angelica smiled back, just before she threw up all over his shoes.


	15. So This is the New Year

**LAST CHAPTER! thanks for all your reviews! the next part will be up soon...if it's not up in a month, harass me until it is (: hope you guys enjoy!**

**and now for the exciting conclusion...**

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

The first thing that Angelica saw when she opened her eyes was the bright early morning sunshine pouring in through the open blinds.

"Ughh..."

"Rise and shine, Pickles."

She jumped, startled to hear that voice. She looked up from Tommy's couch and, sure enough, Chuck Finster stood there. She groaned again as her head pounded mercilessly.

"Holy _shit_." she exclaimed.

"Indeed." he said.

"Oh, God…what did I do last night?"

He raised his eyebrows. "You don't remember?"

"I remember parts…I think I had a little too much champagne."

"I think it was the tequila shots that did you in."

She gave him a sheepish look. "That might have been it…"

"You seriously don't remember?"

"Did I embarrass myself?"

"Well…you threw up on my shoes."

Angelica covered her face with her hands, absolutely horrified. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry…"

"It's ok, I was borrowing them from Tommy." He kneeled down, so that they were face to face.

"I went out to the drugstore first thing this morning and got you a little something." he said, handing her a brown paper bag. She took it and emptied its contents on her lap. A toothbrush and a bottle of painkillers fell out. She gave him a sheepish look. "Thanks," she mumbled, pulling the covers off of her. Underneath, she was still dressed in her silver party dress. She had no idea how she'd gotten on the couch, with a pillow and blanket, but there was no doubt in her mind that Chuck had had something to do with it. "I'll just put this to good use," she said, holding up the toothbrush. She didn't dare look him in the eye as she made her way to the bathroom.

Once alone, she let out a shaky breath. Oh God. This was terrible. Horrific, she thought, brushing her teeth frantically. After she'd gargled with mouthwash twice, she splashed her face with cool water, trying to remove the remnants of her smeared make-up. She then washed down two painkillers with some water from the faucet. A few moments later, she felt as though she was slightly more prepared to face him. However, she still wasn't exactly sure of what she'd said to him last night, before she'd puked all over him. Did she tell him how she felt? Unfortunately, there was no time to ponder this further. He was waiting for her patiently and without complaint, as always. She made her way back into the living room.

"Do you need a ride home?" he asked. "Susie went home with Phil last night, and she was your ride, wasn't she?"

"Oh…yeah. I guess I do…"

He grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter. "Ok. Let's go."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Thanks a lot." she said again.

"You already said that." he replied. "It's no big deal, really."

"Well…thanks for the ride, and for walking me to my door."

"Yeah...well…maybe I should come in for just a minute, just to make sure you're ok and all."

She nodded. "Yeah…thanks."

She shut and locked the door behind him and turned to face him. For the first time all morning, she looked him dead in the eye. This was it. Time to tell him. Now or never.

"Chuck?"

"Hmm?"

"Um…I think I'm gonna take a quick shower…just…don't go yet. Make yourself at home, I'll be out soon."

She left him standing in her living room, completely perplexed. He stood for a few minutes, then sat down on the couch. Yet he soon felt restless and stood again, pacing the room. However, it wasn't too long before she emerged. When he saw her, he was taken aback. He didn't think it was possible, but she was even more beautiful than she had been the night before, more stunning than he'd ever seen her look. She wore a simple blue cotton dress, and her long hair was half dried, but still slightly damp. She was radiant, so much prettier without all that gunk she usually wore on her face. She approached him. He cupped her face in his hand and leaned in, smelling her. She smelled fresh and clean and sweet and—like honeysuckle. He smiled and she smiled back at him. She'd ransacked her vanity, knocking her designer perfumes aside carelessly, searching for the honeysuckle spray he'd bought her years ago.

"You're so beautiful." he said as he buried his face in her hair, taking in her scent.

She ran her fingers through his hair. He kissed her neck.

"Chuckie…we can't do this. What about your girlfriend?"

"Oh…we broke up."

Her heart skipped a beat. "Really?"

"Yeah…last night, actually. Right before the party. I decided…She's great, Emmy. She's perfect for me, in every way. She and I…we…just make sense…"

Angelica chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"But," he continued, "She's not you…You're the one I love. I always have, you know."

The annoying tears started to well up in Angelica's eyes again as her eyes met his. "Last night…I wanted to say…"

"I know." he said.

"You do?"

"I knew, because you called me Chuckie."

She gave him a puzzled look.

"You call me Charles when you're upset," he continued. "Finster when you're annoyed, or sometimes when you're feeling facetious. Charles Crandall when you're really angry. And Chuckie when you're feeling sentimental or a little vulnerable, or exposed--like when you tell me you love me…So, you see, you don't even have to say it. I know."

She pulled him to her and the culmination of a year's worth of passion, and heartache, and need finally burst forth in what was undoubtedly the best kiss she'd ever experienced. When she pulled away, she felt weak in the knees, and, this time, it had nothing to do with tequila. "I think I want to say it anyway." she breathed. "I love you, Chuckie Finster. I always have. And, this time, I'm not going to lose you. Never again."

She yelped and clutched at his shirt as he picked her up with surprising strength. "No way I'm gonna let you go this time." he said, grinning.

"Please don't." she whispered, kissing him hungrily.


End file.
